[14] Davis turned professional on 17 September 1978 and made his professional television debut on Pot Black, where he played against Fred Davis. [133] After a defeat by Craig Steadman 8–10 in the second round of the 2014 World Snooker Championship qualification, Davis finished the season outside the top 64 on the money list and dropped off the main professional tour after 36 years. Two relating to chess in 1995 with David Norwood: Steve Davis Plays Chess and Grandmaster Meets Chess Amateur. [73] Davis began 2010 by failing to qualify for the Welsh Open and the China Open, losing 2–5 to Dominic Dale and 3–5 against Mike Dunn in the final qualifying round. The event ran under different name as Players Tour Championship Grand Finals (2010/2011 to 2012/2013). [45] Meeting Johnson again in the final, he established a 14–10 lead after three sessions. Davis's father Bill, a keen player, introduced him to snooker at age 12 took him to play at his local working men's club and gave him an instructional book: How I Play Snooker by Joe Davis (no relation). Born in: Plumstead, London, UK. He represented Europe in the tournament eleven times, and was a member of the victorious 1995 and 2002 teams; his victory against the US's Earl Strickland clinched the 2002 competition for Europe. [179] Davis performed with Kavus Torabi at the 2016 Glastonbury Festival;[180] their collaboration led to the formation of the Utopia Strong, an electronic-music band whose debut album was released on 13 September 2019. [35] At the 1984 World Snooker Championship, he was the first player to retain his title at the Crucible Theatre – the venue for the event – by defeating Jimmy White 18–16 in the final. Steve Davis is one of the true Snooker Legends. [139] He continues to play exhibitions, and is a commentator for the BBC's snooker coverage. During the same match, he became the first player to make three consecutive century breaks in a major tournament. From 1994 to 2007, Davis played in professional nine-ball pool events regularly. [34] Davis lost 15–16 to Higgins in the 1983 UK Championship final, despite leading 7–0 at one point. [125], Davis began the 2013–14 season at number 51;[126] his first match was in the qualifying stages for the Wuxi Classic, where he faced James Cahill. Nickname: The Nugget, Interesting, Ginger Magician, Romford Slim Professional: 1978-current Highest ranking #1 (seven years) Current rank #23 Career winnings: £5,614,630 Highest break: 147 (1982 Lada Classic) Best ranking: 28 Non-ranking: 53 World champion: 1981,1983,1984,1987,1988,1989: Steve Davis OBE, (born 22 August 1957, Plumstead, London) is an English professional snooker player. [74][75] In March, he qualified for the World Championship for the 30th time by defeating Adrian Gunnell 10–4. Won his last world title in 1989, and captured his last major title when he won the 1997 Masters at the age of 39. [178] He branched out into club work in 2015, and has regular slots at London bars and nightclubs. [4], Although Davis dropped out of the top sixteen a year later, he returned to form in the 2008–09 season by reaching the quarter-finals of the Shanghai Masters and Grand Prix – the first time he reached consecutive ranking-event quarter-finals since 1996. Anything Really. [50] The match is regarded as one of Davis's greatest performances, and was cited in the Guinness Book of Snooker as "The greatest display of potting, break building and safety play ever seen ... no-one could have lived with Davis the way he played at the Crucible in 1989". The information above has been compiled and edited from various online sources which are believed to be in the public domain, including details relating to scores, results, events and tournaments. He was previously married to Judith Greig. 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. [40] Davis trailed Willie Thorne 8–13 in the 1985 UK Championship final. 1995) ( divorced) ( 2 children). Five relate to snooker: Successful Snooker (1982),[164] Frame and Fortune (1982),[165] Steve Davis: Snooker Champion (1983),[166] Matchroom Snooker (1988)[167] and The Official Matchroom 1990. Davis himself now plays upon this image and says it helped him gain acceptance from the public. [139], During a live 17 April 2016 BBC broadcast, he announced his retirement from professional snooker, citing the recent death of his father as the main reason. [147] 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. [186] 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 Stephen Hendry). His four-year unbeaten run in the UK Championship ended in December with a 3–9 semi-final loss to Hendry. He is followed by Stephen Hendry with 75 professional titles, and Ronnie O'Sullivan with 73 professional titles. Davis lost the match, 12–18. [54][61] Davis was runner-up in the 2004 Welsh Open to O'Sullivan, losing 8–9 after leading 8–5. Was inducted into the Snooker Hall of Fame in 2011. It was this show that gave him the nickname "Interesting" Steve Davis. Davis has become known for his coolness and impeccable conduct in high-pressure situations, earning himself the nicknames ‘Ginger Magician’ and ‘Nugget’. [117] He again participated in the Players Tour Championship; his best results were in the Kay Suzanne Memorial Trophy and the Scottish Open, where he reached the last 16 before losing 3–4 to John Higgins and 1–4 to Ding Junhui. "[10], Davis won the English Under-19 Billiards Championship in 1976. [146] Strickland won the match, and proceeded to the semi-finals. Birth date: 27th August 1957 However, he won the World Championship the following year, and he would go on to reach seven out of the next eight world finals. In the World Championship Davis defeated Hallett 13–1, Tony Drago 13–4 and Thorburn 16–8 en route to the final, where he met Griffiths. [182][183] A year later they released "Romford Rap", a follow-up single which reached number 91 on the UK charts. From 1994 to 2007, Davis regularly participated in professional nine-ball pool events; he was instrumental in creating the Mosconi Cup. [47], He won the first ranking event of the 1988–89 snooker season, a 12–6 win against White in the International Open. Davis made a record 30th appearance at the Crucible in 2010 at age 52, where he defeated reigning world champion John Higgins to become the oldest world quarter-finalist since Eddie Charlton in 1983. [39], Davis and Taylor met again in the final of the 1985 Grand Prix, but this time Davis won in the deciding frame. During this run, in January 1982, Davis compiled the first televised maximum break at the Classic at Queen Elizabeth Hall in Oldham against John Spencer[29] and won a Lada car;[30] he then lost 8–9 to Griffiths in the final.