Steve Davis recorded a thrilling 5-4 victory against old rival Jimmy White at the LG Cup in Preston last night. The six-times world champion recorded his 31st victory in 49 meetings against his one-time stablemate thanks to an unbelievable fluke in the final deciding frame. It was the first meeting of this pair in a ranking tournament for seven years and not surprisingly the hall was full to capacity with over 1000 enjoying the nostalgic contest that lasted from 8.30pm until 12.20am.
White was in the driving seat in the final frame as he attempted to reach the last 16 of the event before Davis fluked a red from nowhere and went on to compile a match-clinching run of 21 to sweep past his long-standing rival.
"Jimmy used to call me Golden Balls in the old days, long before they gave the nickname to David Beckham," explained Davis. "Maybe he was right. However, there's no point in saying sorry when something like that happens. As a snooker player you just have to live with it and take it on the chin. Mind you, I'm sure Jimmy's family and friends won't be too pleased."
"I loved every minute of it," said Davis, who now faces former world champion Mark Williams for a place in the quarter-finals. "And I would have said that even had I lost. This was just a one-off where people who haven't been to snooker for ages come out of the woodwork."
"I can understand what John Higgins was trying to say about all the fuss being made about Alex Higgins when today's players are playing better snooker. But it's only because it's Alex. There wouldn't be all the publicity if Terry Griffiths or Dennis Taylor were making a comeback. And it's just the same with me and Jimmy. They are seeing something they remember from 10 years ago, maybe even longer," he explained.
Filed by Amanda Fennelly
