Davis sets up potential upset

[joekingman]

Veteran Steve Davis took the lead in a thrilling Crucible clash with defending world champion John Higgins.

The last time Davis won the World Championship, in 1989, the Berlin Wall was still standing and Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister.

But the 'Nugget' rolled back the years to the golden age of snooker in the arena where he was once the supreme player, winning six titles.

Davis was Higgins' childhood snooker idol and the Scot expressed a desire to take on the 52-year-old in the second round this year after the draw made that a possibility.

But the Scot may have been having second thoughts about that as he slipped 6-2 behind, putting him in a position of early peril. The winner needs 13 frames to reach the quarter-finals, so Davis is not halfway there yet, but he was a convincing leader rather than a fortunate one.

The match resumes on Friday afternoon at 14:30 BST.

[joekingman]

Six-time champion Steve Davis needs to win four frames on Saturday to pull off a stunning defeat of defending champion John Higgins at the Crucible.

Davis led 6-2 after the first session but looked to be feeling the strain as Higgins won three frames in a row to trail 8-7 in the best of 25 encounter.

But Davis, 52, won a tense final frame to lead 9-7 at the end of the session
Higgins is attempting to defend his title and become the first man to land back-to-back Crucible titles since Stephen Hendry won five in a row from 1992 to 1996.

But Davis, who last won the crown in 1989, remained on course to pull off one of his greatest Crucible victories as Higgins continued to struggle for form.

Davis had played superbly to lead 6-2 overnight, and when they split the opening four frames of the second session it meant he would at least finish the session on level terms.

Higgins began with a frame-winning 78 break, and then added the second frame of the day.

The response was emphatic, Davis producing an 83 break before grabbing another frame.

A scrappy, low-scoring frame went Higgins' way after the interval, before he fired in a break of 106 to trail by only 8-6.

Yet neither man was playing particularly well, with both the 5-1 favourite Higgins and the 500-1 outsider Davis missing plenty of balls.

Higgins cut the gap to 8-7, and should have then gone level but missed a simple red at 28-1 ahead in frame 16.

Davis was not about to pass up the gift, and he rattled in a rapid 55 break before going on to nick the frame.

[joekingman]

Steve Davis kept his nerve to pull off a shock victory over defending champion John Higgins at the World Championship.

Six-time champion Davis started the day 9-7 ahead but Higgins took the first two frames, with his 115 in the second frame his 100th Crucible century.

But the Scot missed blues in each of the next two frames to enable Davis, 52, to restore his two-frame advantage.

Breaks of 59 and 56 saw Higgins draw level once again but Davis won the next two frames to clinch a 13-11 win.

It was a hugely tense session in Sheffield as Davis dug deep to rediscover some of the form which made him the game's dominant figure two decades ago.

The previous time the pair played in the World Championship, back in 2000, Higgins won 13-11, and when he levelled at 11-11 it looked as though he might go on to repeat the feat.

But, with the tension almost tangible in the arena, it was Davis who came through to reach the last eight.

Higgins dominated the opening two frames and Davis did not score his first points of the day until Higgins fouled at the start of the third.

Davis then reached 37 before missing a difficult red, and it looked set to be a costly mistake before Higgins fluffed the blue to the middle.

Rather than Higgins moving into the lead for the first time in the match, Davis calmly put away 46 points to edge 10-9 in front.

The veteran gunned in a 49 break in the 20th frame but although he missed a routine red, Higgins once again missed a blue and Davis wrapped up the frame to make it 11-9 at the interval.

Higgins came out the stronger and a pair of half-century breaks saw him level matters once again.

But Davis, who was making his 30th appearance at the tournament, was in no mood to concede and a break of 35 in the penultimate frame, saw him edge ahead once more.

Higgins managed a break of 42 in the 24th frame but could not land the decisive blow and Davis, helped by a run of 34, closed out a victory that was rapturously received by the fans.