Davis became widely known for his role in one of snooker's most famous matches, the 1985 World Championship final. Then the defending champion, he took an 8–0 lead over Dennis Taylor in the best-of-35-frame final, but Taylor recovered to tie the scores at 11–11, 15–15, and 17–17. The 68-minute deciding frame ended in a dramatic battle on the last black ball that attracted 18.5 million viewers in the UK, still the largest British television audience for any broadcast after midnight and any broadcast on BBC Two. Taylor potted the black to win the only world title of his career. Davis's terse responses in his post-match interview with David Vine became the basis for a recurring caricature on the satirical British television show Spitting Image, which gave him the sardonic nickname "Interesting".
In addition to his six world titles, Davis won the UK Championship six times and the Masters three times for a total of 15 Triple Crown titles, placing him third behind O'Sullivan (23) and Hendry (18). During the 1987–88 season, he became the first player to win all three Triple Crown events in a single season, a feat that only two other players, Hendry and Mark Williams, have since matched. He won his last major title at the 1997 Masters, aged 39, but continued to compete at a high level and was still a top-16 ranked player at age 50. He made the last of his 30 Crucible appearances in 2010, aged 52, when he eliminated the defending world champion John Higgins to become the oldest world quarter-finalist since 1983. He retired at the end of the 2015–16 season, after 38 seasons on the professional tour, but remains active as a commentator and analyst for the BBC's snooker coverage. He was made an MBE in the 1988 Birthday Honours and elevated to OBE in the 2000 New Year Honours.
Outside snooker, Davis competed in nine-ball pool tournaments, most notably representing Europe in the Mosconi Cup eleven consecutive times between 1994 and 2004. A keen chess and poker player, he served as president of the British Chess Federation between 1996 and 2001 and competed in televised poker tournaments. In 2013, he featured as a contestant on I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, an ITV reality television series. A fan of progressive rock, he has an ongoing career as a radio broadcaster, club DJ and musician; with Kavus Torabi and Michael J. York, he co-founded the electronic music band the Utopia Strong, with which he has recorded two albums. He has authored and co-authored books on snooker, chess, cooking and music, as well as three autobiographies.
Career
Early career (1970–1979)
Davis was born on 22 August 1957 in Plumstead, London,[3] the elder of two boys; Keith being his younger brother.[4] Davis's father Bill, a keen player, introduced him to snooker at the age of 12, and took him to play at his local working men's club. Bill gave Steve an instructional book: How I Play Snooker by the unrelated Joe Davis.[5][6] They studied the book, Davis later basing his technique on it during the 1970s.[7] He began playing at the Lucania Snooker Club in Romford. The club manager brought his talent to the attention of Barry Hearn (chairman of the Lucania chain of snooker halls) when Davis was 18, and Hearn became his friend and manager.[8][9] Paid £25 a match by Hearn, Davis toured the United Kingdom and participated in challenge matches against established professionals such as Ray Reardon, John Spencer and Alex Higgins. Around this time he was nicknamed "Nugget" because, according to Hearn, "you could put your case of money on him and you knew you were going to get paid."[8]
Davis won the English Under-19 Billiards Championship in 1976.[10] One of his last wins as a snooker amateur was against Tony Meo, another future professional, in the final of the 1978 Pontins Spring Open.[11] He defended his title a year later, defeating future rival Jimmy White 7–4 in the final.[12] Davis applied in 1978 to become a professional and was initially rejected,[13] before being accepted with effect from 17 September 1978, becoming the youngest of the professional players. He made his professional television debut on Pot Black, where he played against Fred Davis.[14][15][16] He played in his first World Snooker Championship in 1979, having won two qualifying matches,[17] but lost 11–13 to Dennis Taylor in the first round proper.[18]
Davis completed a 9–0 whitewash victory over Dennis Taylor in the International Open final and retained the UK Championship with a 16–3 win over Griffiths in the final, winning five events in 1981.[27] In January 1982, Davis compiled the first televised maximum break at the Classic at Queen Elizabeth Hall in Oldham against John Spencer.[28] As Lada were sponsoring the event, they offered Davis a car for completing the break.[29] He reached the final, but lost 8–9 to Griffiths in the final.[30] However, later that month Davis defeated Griffiths 9–5 in the Masters final, to win his first title.[31]
At the 1985 World Snooker Championship, Davis defeated Neal Foulds, David Taylor, Griffiths and Reardon en route to the championship final, where his opponent was Dennis Taylor.[39] Davis won all of the frames in the first session , and the first of the evening session, to lead 8–0 but Taylor recovered to trail 7–9. Taylor levelled the match for the first time at 11–11; after Davis took the lead again, Taylor fought back a second time from 12–15 to level at 15–15 and a third time from 15–17 to 17–17, forcing a deciding frame. With the scores close, Taylor potted the final colours to leave the black ball . With Davis leading 62–59 in the frame at that point, the player who potted the black ball would win the championship. After several failed attempts to pot it by each player, Taylor potted the ball to win the title. The final was watched by 18.5million viewers, setting all-time records for BBC Two and for a post-midnight audience on British television.[40] The final, later called the "black ball final", was voted the ninth-greatest sporting moment of all time in a 2002 Channel 4 poll; Davis's disbelief and Taylor's triumphant, pointing finger have been replayed many times on television.[41]
Later World Snooker Championship victories (1985–1989)
Davis and Taylor met again in the final of the 1985 Grand Prix, but this time Davis won in a deciding frame. At 10 hours 21 minutes, it was the longest one-day final in snooker history.[42] Davis trailed Willie Thorne 8–13 in the 1985 UK Championship final. Thorne missed a blue off the spot, which would have given him a 14–8 lead; Davis won the frame and seven of the next eight to win 16–14.[43] Davis also won the 1986 British Open, with a 12–7 win over Thorne.[44] At the 1986 World Championship, Davis defeated White 13–5 in the quarter-finals and Thorburn 16–12 in the semi-finals.[45] His opponent in the final was Joe Johnson, who started the tournament as an outsider to win, with odds of 150–1. Davis lost the match, 12–18.[46] At the end of 1986, he beat Foulds 16–7 to retain the 1986 UK Championship.[38]
Davis began 1987 by winning the Classic 13–12 against defending champion Jimmy White.[47] At the 1987 World Snooker Championship, he defeated Griffiths 13–5 in the quarter-final and White 16–11 in the semi-final.[48] Meeting Johnson again in the final, he established a 14–10 lead after three sessions. Johnson reduced Davis's lead to 14–13, but Davis took four of the next five frames to win the match 18–14 and regain the title, his fourth world championship.[49] In December he retained his UK title with a 16–14 win against White in the final.[38] Davis retained the Classic in 1988 before claiming his second Masters title: in the final he completed a 9–0 whitewash of Mike Hallett, the only such result in the event's history.[31] He also won the World Cup with England and secured his fourth Irish Masters title. In that year's World Championship Davis defeated Hallett 13–1, Tony Drago 13–4 and Thorburn 16–8 en route to the final, where he met Griffiths. Davis established a 5–2 lead after the first session, but Griffiths levelled at 8–8 after the second. On the second day of the match, Davis took ten out of thirteen frames to win his fifth world title 18–11.[50]
He won the first ranking event of the 1988–89 snooker season, a 12–6 victory over White in the International Open. During the same match, Davis became the first player to make three consecutive century breaks in a major tournament.[51] In October, he won the Grand Prix final 10–6 against Alex Higgins and held the World, UK, Masters, Grand Prix, Classic and Irish Masters titles simultaneously. His four-year unbeaten run in the UK Championship ended in December with a 3–9 semi-final loss to Hendry.[52] Davis did not win another major title until the 1989 World Championship, where he beat Hendry 16–9 in the semi-finals before the most decisive victory in a world final of the modern era: an 18–3 win against John Parrott, for his sixth world championship.[53] He retained the Grand Prix in October, beating Dean Reynolds 10–0 in the final – the first whitewash in a ranking-event final.[54] By the end of the 1980s, Davis was snooker's first millionaire.[10]
Last ranking event win (1990–1995)
Davis began the 1990s by winning the Irish Masters for the fifth time, defeating Taylor 9–4.[55][56] Davis was denied an eighth consecutive appearance in the 1990 World Snooker Championship final by Jimmy White, who won their semi-final 16–14.[57] He was succeeded as world number one by new world champion Stephen Hendry, at the end of the 1989–90 snooker season, Davis having held the spot for seven consecutive seasons.[58] The following season, Davis reached the final of the UK Championship again and played Hendry, losing on a deciding frame 15–16.[59] Davis won the Irish Masters again, defeating Parrott 9–5 in the final.[56] At the world championship, Davis reached the semi-final but lost to Parrott 16–10.[60]
Davis won the Classic defeating Hendry 9–8, and then won the Asian Open beating Alan McManus 9–3.[61][62] He did not win a match at the 1992 World Snooker Championship, however, as he was beaten 4–10 by Peter Ebdon, the first time he had lost in the opening round in nine years.[63] He won the European Open in 1993 where he completed a 10–4 victory against Hendry in the final.[64] Davis won a seventh Irish Masters event in 1993, where he defeated McManus 9–4.[56] At the 1993 World Snooker Championship, Davis defeated Ebdon, who had defeated him the year previously 10–3, but lost again to McManus in the second round 13–11.[65][66] Davis won his eighth (and final) Irish Masters event in 1994 with a deciding frame win over McManus.[56] Davis progressed past the second round for the first time in three years at the 1994 World Snooker Championship, defeating Dene O'Kane, Steve James and Wattana but was defeated by Hendry 9–16 in the semi-final.[67][68] Over the next two seasons, Davis won consecutive Welsh Open titles. At the 1994 event, he completed three consecutive whitewash 5–0 victories, and won the final 9–6 over McManus.[69] The following season at the 1995 event, he defeated John Higgins 9–3 in the final.[70] This victory was his last ranking title of his career.[71]
Masters champion for the last time (1996–2000)
In 1996, Davis reached the quarter-finals of both the Masters and World Championship, losing to McManus and Ebdon, respectively.[72][73][74][75] The following year, at the 1997 Masters, Davis reached the final, defeating McManus, Ebdon and Doherty.[76] Trailing O'Sullivan 4–8 in the final, Davis won six frames in a row, securing a 10–8 victory.[77] The win was Davis's last fully professional title of his career, his third Masters title.[3] At the world championship later that year, Davis defeated David McLellan in the opening round, before losing to Doherty 3–13.[78] He also reached the second round in the 1998 event, where he defeated Simon Bedford, but lost to Williams 6–13.[74]
Davis's best result during the season was a quarter-final appearance at the 2001 Irish Masters losing to O'Sullivan.[56] Davis failed to qualify for the 2001 World Snooker Championship, losing 6–10 to Andy Hicks in the last qualifying round.[85] This was the first time Davis would be absent from the event since his debut in 1979.[86][87] After the loss, he contemplated retirement, but said that it would be the "easy thing to do".[88] Since he still enjoyed the challenge of professional play he continued into the 2001–02 snooker season and reached the semi-finals of the 2002 LG Cup and the quarter-finals of the 2003 Irish Masters the following season.[89][90] However, Davis was unable to qualify for the 2002 World Snooker Championship, losing 8–10 to Robin Hull in the final round of qualification.[91]
Despite this, his previous results were enough to regain his place in the top 16 for the 2003–2004 season, starting ranked 11th in the world.[58] Despite not progressing past the third round in any other events, Davis reached the final at the 2004 Welsh Open. This was nine years after he last won a ranking event at the 1995 Welsh Open. He defeated Mark King, Higgins, Milkins and Marko Fu and met O'Sullivan in the final.[92] In the best of 17 frames match, he led 8–5, but lost 8–9.[93][94] He reached the quarter-finals of the 2005 World Snooker Championship, losing to eventual winner Shaun Murphy.[95]
He qualified for the 2010 World Snooker Championship, his 30th time at the event, by defeating Adrian Gunnell 10–4.[105] In the first round, Davis beat Mark King 10–9, and at 52, he was the oldest player to win a match at the Crucible since Eddie Charlton defeated Cliff Thorburn in 1989.[106] In the second round, against defending champion John Higgins, Davis won 13–11, a win commentator Clive Everton called "the greatest upset in the 33 years the Crucible has been hosting the championship."[107] This made him the oldest world quarter-finalist since Charlton in 1983. In the quarter-final match against Australian Neil Robertson, Davis lost 5–13.[108] Despite having his best run at the World Championship for five years and reaching the quarter-finals for only the second time since 1994, this was his last appearance at the Crucible; he failed to qualify for the tournament again before his retirement.[109] O'Sullivan equalled Davis's record of 30 Crucible appearances in 2022.[110]
Davis received an invitational tour card for tournaments in the 2014–15 season.[136] He played in the 2014 Champion of Champions event after qualifying with the 2013 World Seniors Championship,[137] losing 1–4 to Mark Selby in the group semi-final.[138] He entered the 2016 World Snooker Championship qualifiers, and lost to Fergal O'Brien in his last professional match. During a live BBC broadcast on 17 April 2016, Davis announced his retirement from professional snooker, citing the recent death of his father as the main reason. He entered the Crucible Theatre holding the World Championship trophy, and received a standing ovation from the audience.[139] Over the course of his career, Davis won over £5.5million in prize money.[135][140]As of 2021[update], he continues to play exhibitions, and is a pundit and commentator for the BBC's snooker coverage of Triple Crown events.[139]
Other sports
Davis playing a trick shot: potting a ball under a cloth
From 1994 to 2007, Davis regularly participated in professional nine-ball pool events; he was instrumental in creating the Mosconi Cup, an annual nine-ball pool tournament contested between teams representing Europe and the United States.[2] He represented Europe in the tournament eleven times, and was a member of the victorious 1995 and 2002 teams;[141] his victory against the US's Earl Strickland clinched the 2002 competition for Europe.[142][143][144] In 2001, Davis reached the final of his first pool event at the World Pool League before losing 9–5 to Efren Reyes.[145]Sky Sports commentator Sid Waddell gave him the nickname "Romford Slim", calling him Britain's answer to American pool player Rudolf "Minnesota Fats" Wanderone.[2] Davis dislikes blackball pool as played on English-style tables in British pubs and clubs, considering it a "Mickey Mouse game" when played with a smaller cue ball than the other balls, although he is happy with the game when played with uniform balls.[146]
He reached the last 16 of the 2003 WPA World Nine-ball Championship in Cardiff, Wales, where he faced three-time champion Strickland.[148] The match was notable for the behaviour of its players. Strickland accused members of the crowd of bias towards Davis;[149] when warned by referee Michaela Tabb, he told her to "shut up".[150] He complained after Davis took a second toilet break (when only allocated one), and Davis later admitted that the second break was gamesmanship against his opponent. Strickland won the match, and proceeded to the semi-finals.[149]
Davis has become known for his coolness and conduct in high-pressure situations.[3] His initial lack of emotional expression and monotonous interview style earned him a reputation as boring, and the satirical television series Spitting Image nicknamed him "Interesting".[160] Davis has since played on this image, and says it helped him gain public acceptance.[161] He co-authored the 1988 book How to Be Really Interesting with Geoff Atkinson, a comedy writer who had been a key part of Spitting Image's writing team.[162][163]
Davis has published a number of other books. Five relate to snooker: Successful Snooker (1982),[168]Frame and Fortune (1982),[169]Steve Davis: Snooker Champion (1983),[170]Matchroom Snooker (1988)[171] and The Official Matchroom 1990 Snooker Special.[172] He co-authored two chess books in 1995 with David Norwood: Steve Davis Plays Chess[173] and Grandmaster Meets Chess Amateur.[174] Davis wrote three 1994 cookbooks: Simply Fix – the Steve Davis Interesting Cookbook No 1 – Interesting Things to Do With Meat,[175]Simply Fix – The Steve Davis Interesting Cookbook No 2 – Interesting Things to Make with Poultry,[176] and Simply Fix – the Steve Davis Interesting Cookbook No 3 – Interesting Things to Make Using Vegetables.[177] His third autobiography, Interesting, was published in 2015.[178] Davis co-produced a music book with Kavus Torabi titled Medical Grade Music in 2021.[179]
Davis performing at the Krankenhaus Festival at Muncaster Castle in 2019
When in the sixth form at school, Davis began listening to progressive rock and was introduced to the Canterbury scene. Interviewed in 2020, Davis said, "I loved what bands like Soft Machine and Henry Cow were doing – it was challenging and very complex." Regarding Robert Wyatt, he said, "...one album in my collection that I would strong urge everyone to get is Rock Bottom. It's the type of album that you have to hear when you're smashed out of your face. It is just an incredible record.[182] Davis is a fan of French progressive rock band Magma, and produced a London concert so he could see them, which led to their re-formation.[183] He has a record collection with around 2,000 albums.[182]
Davis joined Brentwood community radio station Phoenix FM in 1996, broadcasting a variety of soul and rock shows during the next ten years online and on FM under a Restricted Service Licence. When the station went full-time on FM in March 2007, he hosted The Interesting Alternative Show.[184][185] As a result of his broadcasts, Davis was a guest presenter on BBC Radio 6 Music in 2011.[186] Davis adopted "Thunder Muscle" as his stage name – the energy drink brand from the television series The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, where he played a fictional version of himself promoting the product. He also used the stage name "Rocky Flame".[187][188][189] He branched out into club work in 2015, and has regular slots at London bars and nightclubs.[190] Davis performed with Kavus Torabi at the 2016 Glastonbury Festival;[191] their collaboration led to the formation of the Utopia Strong, an electronic music band whose debut album was released on 13 September 2019.[192] In March 2023, Davis undertook a UK tour with the Utopia Strong in support of The Steve Hillage Band. He played analogue modular synthesiser on two free-form pieces each night totalling 30 mins. He joined Chas & Dave and several other snooker stars (as the Matchroom Mob) on "Snooker Loopy", a 1986 novelty record which was a Top 10 hit in the UK Singles Chart.[193][194] A year later they released "Romford Rap", a follow-up single which reached number 91 on the UK charts.[195]
In September 2021, Davis appeared in a music video for a track titled "Lily" from the upcoming Richard Dawson and Circle collaborative album.[196]
Legacy
Davis won a record 84 professional titles and was the runner-up in 38 events, with 28 of these as ranking event victories.[135][109][a] His modern-era record of six world titles has been broken by both Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan,[197] and his six UK Championship titles has been bettered only by O'Sullivan.[198] Davis compiled 338 competitive centuries during his career.[199][200][b] He was coached by Frank Callan for much of his career, who also represented Hendry in the 1990s.[201] In 2011, Davis was inducted into World Snooker's new Hall of Fame with seven other former world champions.[202] In the book Masters of the Baize, a detailed comparison and ranking of snooker professionals, Luke Williams and Paul Gadsby rated Davis as the third-greatest snooker player of all time (behind Joe Davis and Hendry).[203][204]
Davis was one of the first professional players to play in China, touring through the 1980s.[205][206] This, along with highly lucrative off-table endorsements, both set up by Hearn, allowed him to become the United Kingdom's highest paid sportsperson in the later half of the 1980s.[207][208] During the 2010 world championship, to mark the anniversary of the 1985 world championship final, Davis appeared with Taylor before the beginning of the first semi-final to stage a humorous re-enactment of their historic final frame; Taylor entered the arena wearing a pair of comically oversized glasses, and Davis arrived sporting a red wig.[209]
Davis married flight attendant Judith (née Greig) in 1990. They had two sons together, Greg (born in 1991) and Jack (born in 1993).[216] In 1995, a British tabloid newspaper paid a 19-year-old dancer £32,000 to publish her allegations that Davis had had an extramarital affair with her.[217] Davis and his wife divorced in 2005,[218] after which Davis began a relationship with office assistant Jeannie Marsh.[219] In 2012, Davis's son Greg entered Q-School with the aim of winning a place on the professional snooker tour, but failed to do so.[220][221]
↑ From the 2010/2011 season it shows the ranking at the beginning of the season.
↑ New players on the Main Tour do not have a ranking.
↑ Players issued an invitational tour card began the season without ranking points.
1 2 The event ran under different names as Australian Masters (1979/1980 to 1987/1988 and 1995/1996), Hong Kong Open (1989/1990) and Australian Open (1994/1995).
1 2 The event ran under different name as German Open (1995/1996 to 1997/1998).
↑ The event ran under different name as Players Tour Championship Grand Finals (2010/2011 to 2012/2013).
1 2 The event ran under different names as China International (1997/1998 and 1998/1999)
↑ The event was called the Six-red Snooker International (2008/2009) and the Six-red World Grand Prix (2009/2010)
1 2 The event run under different names as Canadian Open (1974/1975 to 1980/1981)
1 2 The event run under different names as Dubai Masters (1988/1989), Thailand Classic (1995/1996) and Asian Classic (1996/1997)
1 2 The event ran under different names such as Asian Open (1989/1990 to 1992/1993) and Thailand Open (1993/1994 to 1996/1997).
↑ The event ran under different names such as International Open (1981/1982 to 1984/1985, 1986/1987 to 1996/1997), Goya Matchroom Trophy (1985/1986) and Players Championship (2003/2004).
1 2 The event ran under different names such as British Gold Cup (1979/1980), Yamaha Organs Trophy (1980/1981) and International Masters (1981/1982 to 1983/1984).
↑ The event ran under different names such as European Open (1988/1989 to 1996/1997 and 2001/2002 to 2003/2004) and Irish Open (1998/1999).
1 2 The tournament was known as Northern Ireland Classic (1981/1982)
↑ The event ran under different name as Professional Players Tournament (1982/1983 and 1983/1984), LG Cup (2001/2002 to 2003/2004), Grand Prix (1984/1985 to 2000/2001 and 2004/2005 to 2009/2010), the World Open (2010/2011) and the Haikou World Open (2011/2012–2013/2014).
↑ The event ran under different name as Jiangsu Classic (2008/2009 to 2009/2010).
↑ The event ran under different names such as International Open (1981/1982 to 1984/1985, 1986/1987 to 1996/1997), Matchroom Trophy (1985/1986) and Players Championship (2003/2004).
↑ The event was also called the Hong Kong Masters (1983/1984–1988/1989)
↑ The event was also called the Kent Cup (1986/1987–1987/1988 and 1989/1990–1990/1991)
↑ The event ran under a different name as the Charity Challenge (1994/1995–1998/1999)
↑ The event was also called the Professional Snooker League (1983/1984), Matchroom League (1986/1987 to 1991/1992) and the European League (1992/1993 to 1996/1997)
↑ Final decided on an aggregate score over three frames
↑ Final was decided on a three-man round robin basis, the third person was John Dunning.
The World Snooker Championship is the longest-running and most prestigious tournament in professional snooker. It is also the richest, with total prize money of £2,395,000 in 2023, including £500,000 for the winner. First held in 1927, it is now one of the three tournaments that make up snooker's Triple Crown Series. The reigning world champion is Kyren Wilson.
The 1985 World Snooker Championship final, also known as the black-ball final, was played on the weekend of 27–28 April 1985 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. The final of the 1985 World Snooker Championship was between defending world champion Steve Davis and 1979 runner-up Dennis Taylor. It was Davis's fourth appearance in a final and Taylor's second. The best-of-35-frame match was split into four sessions. Davis won every frame in the first session to lead 7–0 but only led 9–7 and 13–11 after the second and third sessions. Until the match was over, Taylor was never ahead in frames but had tied the contest three times at 11–11, 15–15 and 17–17. The deciding frame culminated in a number of shots on the final black ball. After both players had failed to pot it several times, Taylor potted the black to win his only world championship. Media outlets reported this as a major shock: Davis had been widely predicted to win the match, having lifted three of the previous four world championship titles.
Joe Johnson is an English former professional snooker player and snooker commentator for Eurosport. He became the British under-19 champion in 1971 as an amateur, defeating Tony Knowles in the final. After reaching the finals of the 1978 English Amateur Championship and the 1978 World Amateur Championship, Johnson turned professional in 1979. He reached his first ranking final at the 1983 Professional Players Tournament, and reached the semi-finals of the 1985 Classic.
John Higgins is a Scottish professional snooker player from Wishaw in North Lanarkshire. Since turning professional in 1992, he has won 31 ranking titles, placing him in third position on the all-time list of ranking event winners, behind Ronnie O'Sullivan (41) and Stephen Hendry (36). He has won four World Championships, three UK Championships and two Masters titles, for a total of nine Triple Crown titles, putting him level with Mark Selby and behind only O'Sullivan (23), Hendry (18) and Steve Davis (15). He first entered the top 16 in the 1995–96 world rankings and remained there continuously for over 29 years until September 2024, setting a record for the longest uninterrupted tenure as a top-16 player. He reached the world number one position four times.
Anthony Christian Meo is a retired English snooker player. He won the 1989 British Open by defeating Dean Reynolds 13–6 in the final, and was runner-up to Steve Davis at the 1984 Classic. He won four World Doubles Championship titles, partnering Davis, and the 1983 World Team Classic representing England alongside Davis and Tony Knowles.
Terence Martin Griffiths was a Welsh professional snooker player, coach and pundit. After winning several amateur titles, including the Welsh Amateur Championship in 1975 and back-to-back English Amateur Championships in 1977 and 1978, Griffiths turned professional in June 1978 at the age of 30.
John Stephen Parrott is an English former professional snooker player who was world champion in 1991. He was a professional during the late 1980s and 1990s, and remained within the top 16 of the world rankings for 14 consecutive seasons. Parrott is now a TV snooker commentator and pundit.
The UK Championship is a professional ranking snooker tournament. It is one of snooker's prestigious Triple Crown events, along with the World Championship and the Masters. It is usually held at the Barbican, York. Ronnie O'Sullivan has won the tournament a record eight times, followed by Steve Davis with six titles and Stephen Hendry with five.
The 2005 World Snooker Championship was a professional snooker tournament that took place at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. The tournament started on 16 April, and ended on 2 May 2005. The event was the eighth and final world ranking event of the 2004–05 snooker season, following the 2005 China Open. The event was organised by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. Due to laws banning advertising cigarettes in Great Britain, this was the last time the event was sponsored by the cigarette company Embassy. The event had a prize fund of £1,121,800, with the winner receiving £250,000.
The 2003 World Snooker Championship was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 19 April to 5 May 2003 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. It was the final ranking event of the 2002–03 snooker season. This was the 27th consecutive year that the World Snooker Championship had been held at the Crucible, marking the 26th anniversary of the first staging of the event at this venue. The championships were sponsored by cigarette manufacturer Embassy.
The 2002 World Snooker Championship was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 20 April to 6 May 2002 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. It was the final ranking event of the 2001–02 snooker season. This was the 26th consecutive year that the World Snooker Championship had been held at the Crucible, marking the 25th anniversary of the first staging of the event at this venue. The championship was sponsored by cigarette manufacturer Embassy.
The 1989 World Snooker Championship was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 15 April to 1 May 1989 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. Organised by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, it was the eighth and final ranking event of the 1988–89 snooker season and the thirteenth consecutive World Snooker Championship to be held at the Crucible, the first tournament at this location having taken place in 1977. There were 142 entrants to the competition.
The 1988 World Snooker Championship, also known as the 1988 Embassy World Snooker Championship for sponsorship reasons, was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 16 April to 2 May 1988 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. Organised by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), it was the sixth and final ranking event of the 1987–88 snooker season and the twelfth consecutive World Snooker Championship to be held at the Crucible, the first tournament there having taken place in 1977.
The 1990 World Snooker Championship was a professional snooker tournament that took place between 13 and 29 April 1990 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. It was the ninth and final world ranking tournament of the 1989–90 snooker season following the European Open. Featuring a total prize fund of £620,000, the winner received £120,000; and was sponsored by cigarette manufacturer Embassy.
In snooker, a century break is a break of 100 points or more, compiled in one visit to the table. A century break requires potting at least 25 consecutive balls, and the ability to score centuries is regarded as a mark of the highest skill in snooker. Ronnie O'Sullivan has described a player's first century break as the "ultimate milestone for any snooker player". Joe Davis made the first televised century break in 1962.
The Triple Crown in professional snooker refers to winning the sport's three longest-running and most prestigious tournaments: the World Snooker Championship, the invitational Masters, and the UK Championship. In January 2020, the three tournaments were formally named the Triple Crown Series.
The 2008 World Snooker Championship was a professional snooker tournament that took place between 19 April and 5 May 2008 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. It was the 32nd consecutive year that the World Snooker Championship was held at the Crucible Theatre, and the seventh and final ranking event of the 2007–08 snooker season. The tournament was organised by World Snooker, and sponsored by betting company 888.com. The tournament featured a total prize fund of £1,050,000 with £250,000 being awarded to the winner.
The 2010 World Snooker Championship was a professional snooker tournament that took place between 17 April and 3 May 2010 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. The final ranking event of the 2009-10 snooker season, it was the 34th year that the World Snooker Championship had been held at the Crucible, first held in 1927. The event was organised by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association and had a total prize fund of £1,111,000, with £250,000 going to the winner of the event. The tournament was sponsored by sports betting company Betfred.
The 2011 World Snooker Championship was a professional snooker tournament that took place between 16 April and 2 May 2011 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. It was the 35th consecutive year that the World Snooker Championship had been held at the Crucible and was the last ranking event of the 2010–11 snooker season. The event was organised by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association and had a total prize fund of £1,111,000, with £250,000 going to the winner of the event. The tournament was sponsored by sports betting company Betfred.
Dennis Taylor is a Northern Irish retired professional snooker player and current commentator. He turned professional in 1972 and is best known for winning the 1985 World Snooker Championship, in which he lost the first eight frames of the final to defending champion Steve Davis but recovered to win 18–17 in a duel on the last black ball. The final's conclusion attracted 18.5 million viewers, setting UK viewership records for any post-midnight broadcast and for any broadcast on BBC Two that still stand.
↑ Morrison, Ian; Davis, Steve (1989). The Official Matchroom 1990. Hamlyn. ISBN0600566005.
↑ Davis, Steve; Norwood, David (September 1995). Steve Davis Plays Chess. B.T. Batsford Ltd. ISBN9-780-7134-7813-6.
↑ Davis, Steve; Norwood, David (1995). Grandmaster Meets Chess Amateur (1st Americaned.). New York: Henry Holt & Co. ISBN9-780-8050-4224-5.
↑ Davis, Steve (1994). Simply Fix – the Steve Davis Interesting Cookbook No 1 – Interesting Things to Do With Meat. Crosse & Blackwell. ISBN9-780-946555-33-8.
↑ Davis, Steve (1994). Simply Fix – The Steve Davis Interesting Cookbook No 2 – Interesting Things to Make with Poultry. London: Crosse & Blackwell. ISBN9-780-946555-34-5.
↑ Davis, Steve (1994). Simply Fix – The Steve Davis Interesting Cookbook No 3 – Interesting Things to Make Using Vegetables. London: Crosse & Blackwell. ISBN9-780-946555-35-2.
↑ Bray, Christopher (23 April 2015). "A safe pair of hands". The Spectator. Archived from the original on 11 July 2020. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
↑ Williams, Luke; Gadsby, Paul (2005). Masters of the Baize: Cue Legends, Bad Boys and Forgotten Men in Search of Snooker's Ultimate Prize. Mainstream Publishing. ISBN9-781-84018-872-1.
↑ Rawcliffe, Jonathan; Harlow, Phil (17 April 2005). "Crucible Diary – Day Two". BBC Sport. London. Archived from the original on 7 December 2013. Retrieved 15 April 2007.
↑ Nicoli, Luke (November 2007). "Steve Davis". FourFourTwo: 110.
1 2 Turner, Chris. "Australian Masters". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
↑ "Davis Wins Seniors Irish Masters". wpbsa.com. World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. 8 January 2018. Archived from the original on 28 July 2020. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
↑ Syed, Matthew (7 December 1991). "Hallett advances after making a bad start – Snooker". The Times– via the Times Digital Archive. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
↑ Morrison, Ian (1986). The Hamlyn Encyclopedia of Snooker. Twickenham: Hamlyn Publishing Group. p.147. ISBN0600501922.
↑ Perrin, Reg (1982). Pot Black. London: BBC. p.175. ISBN0563179945.
↑ "Weekend Sport in Brief". Daily Mail. London. 11 May 1981. p.33.
Further reading
Taylor, Dennis (1985). Frame by frame: my own story. Queen Anne Press. ISBN978-0356121796.
Davis, Steve (1982). Successful Snooker. Littlehampton Book Services Ltd. ISBN978-0850974379.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
England 
