Category:

Professional

Name:

Steve Davis

Town / Country:

Brentwood, England

DoB:

22/08/57

Club:

--

High Break:

147

Ranking:

1st ( 1983/84 to 1989/90)

Turned Pro:

1978

Biography:

Not since his namesake, the great Joe (no relation) had anyone so completely dominated the game in the way Steve did during the 1980s. In the ten seasons from 1980/81 he reached eight world finals, winning six and won fifteen other ranking events out of a possible 36. Add to this eight victories in major tournaments which only later achieved ranking status, two Wembley Masters, five Irish, three Scottish and some twenty-four other wins, all in ten seasons and you have some idea how far ahead of the rest he was. It was only when Stephen Hendry came along that anyone really challenged him.

Although Steve Davis began playing snooker at the age of 12, he had no great record as an amateur although he did win the National Under-19 billiards championship in 1976. A businessman named Barry Hearn spotted him playing at a club in Romford, later to become the famous Matchroom. Hearn realised his potential and a contract was drawn up.

His father, Bill, was no mean player and what Steve lacked in natural talent he made up for by shear determination to win and hatred of losing. Hearn brought to professionals to his club to play him, and his game got better and better. He won the 1978 Pontins Open before joining the paid ranks.

Success was not instant. He reached the Crucible at his first attempt in 1979 following this with UK and world quarter-finals the next season but it was in 1980/81 that things started to happen. In that season he won the Wilson's Classic, UK Championship, English Professional and the Yamaha Masters and arrived at Sheffield in April as favourite to take the world title which he duly did beating Doug Mountjoy in the final 18-12.

The following season he won seven more titles including the Masters and a second UK. and, in January 1982, he made the first ever televised maximum break in the Lada Classic against John Spencer. It was no surprise therefore that when April came along, he was one of the hottest ever favourites to retain his Embassy title. He was however trounced 10-1 by Tony Knowles in the first round.

This only made him more determined and in 1982/3 he entered eleven tournaments and won seven including regaining the world crown. The next season it was the same story and by now he was just about the wealthiest sportsman in Britain. No one ever expected him to lose.

He arrived at the Crucible in 1985 with another five titles under his belt that season plus three semi-finals and four comfortable wins saw him in anther final. Dennis Taylor was his opponent and when Steve opened up an 8-0 lead everyone thought it was all over - except Dennis. We all know what happened; Dennis came back and back until it was 17 all and all down to the final black with 18 million watching on TV well after midnight and it was Dennis who finally came out the winner.

Another brilliant season followed but again ended in disappointment at Sheffield. This time it was Joe Johnson who beat him but revenge over Joe came in 1987. Terry Griffiths was his final victim in 1988 and in 1989, his seventh successive final gave him his sixth win, this time over John Parrott, to equal Ray Reardon's modern day record.

All this time he continued to win the major ranking events at the rate of about three a season and together with the other top players who had also by now joined up with Barry Hearn's Matchroom stable began to take the game to new countries especially in the far east.

Steve was by now snooker's first millionaire with all the trappings of success but as we entered the nineties, a young man from Scotland came on the scene who was to dominate that decade in much the same way as Steve had during the eighties. He was by no means finished and the next few years saw him claim four more ranking titles, another Benson & Hedges Masters and three more Irish Masters. Steve's most recent victories have been in China with the 1997 China International and the last one, in June 1998, The Red Bull Super League.

Steve remains a very determined and difficult player to beat. He has slowed down his game in recent years but it would be a brave man who wrote him off just yet although he dropped out of the top 16 for the first time at the end of the 1999/2000 season. Back in the eighties he used to say that he would stop playing when he stopped winning but he seems to be enjoying the game as much, if not more than he ever did and now has a new target - to get back that top 16 place. In 2000/01 he failed to get that place back, only reaching the last sixteen of one ranking event.

He battled on in 2001/02 but failed to get beyond the last 32 of any ranking event and saw his ranking slump to an all-time low of 25th. During the season however he passed the £5 million mark in career earnings.

In 2002/03 however there was a distinct revival in his fortunes. He reached the last 32 of every event and got to the semi finals of the LG Cup and the last eight of the Irish Masters. These performances ensured a return to the top 16 after a three year gap.

In addition to winning virtually every prize the game has offered, Steve has been a superb ambassador for the sport and was rewarded with the MBE in 1989 to which was added the OBE in 2000. He now has his own weekly television chat show and is a regular presenter at tournaments for the BBC.

Achievements:

World Professional Snooker Champion 1981, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1989
World Professional Snooker Runner-up 1985, 1986
UK Championship winner 1980, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987
Benson & Hedges Masters champion 1982, 1988, 1997
Benson & Hedges Irish Masters champion 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994
Grand Prix champion 1985, 1988, 1989
Lada / Mercantile Credit Classic Champion 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1992
International Open winner 1981, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1989
British Open champion 1986, 1993
European Open champion 1993
Asian Open champion 1992
Welsh Open champion 1993, 1994
Thailand Masters champion 1992
Canadian Masters champion 1986
World Doubles winner 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986 (with Tony Meo)
China International Champion 1998
Scottish Masters champion 1982, 1983, 1984
English Professional champion 1981, 1985
Yamaha International champion 1981, 1982, 1984
Tolly Cobbold Classic champion 1982, 1983, 1984
BBC Pot Black champion 1982, 1983
Hong Kong Masters winner 1984, 1987
Matchroom League winner 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990
Matchroom Professional Champion 1989
Australian Masters Champion 1986
World Matchplay Champion 1988
European Grand Prix champion 1989
World Series winner 1992
Belgian Challenge winner 1992
Red Bull Super League winner 1998

Chris Turner

(Revised) May 2004