I'm not much of a snooker fan (it's far too difficult... I have a highest break of 14, which is hardly impressive), but I have been following the exploits of Steve Davis in the UK Snooker Championship this week. At 48, the man who dominated the world snooker scene in the '80s when he won both the UK and world titles six times apiece had widely been written off as a has-been.
In particular, Davis was eclipsed by Steven Hendry who won the World Championship seven times in the '90s, a feat that included claiming the title five in a row. To make matters worse, Hendry has beaten Davis 41 times in their 57 meetings, winning their last nine matches.
Then all of a sudden, Davis was back with a vengeance, fighting his way to a semi-final against Hendry and last night he made it into the final by beating his "nemesis" 9-6 (it would have been by a bigger margin, if Hendry hadn't staged a comeback at 8-2).
It's too early for Davis to claim the UK title yet, but I'm rooting for him... it's good to see that old-timers can still cut it!
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Post Script: Well, Steve's run didn't stretch to winning the final, as he was beaten 10-6 by 18-year old Chinese revelation called Ding Junhui. Talk about a battle of generations, apparently Ding had only just been born when Davis last the UK crown!
I listened to Steve Davis on the radio and he was gracious in his defeat; saying how much he is enjoying playing at the top level again and praising his victor in the highest terms. Ding's magnanimous comments have also been exemplary.
Bravo!
Now when does the rugby Six Nations start? It's time for some proper sport...