Dennis Taylor v Steve Davis, the rematch
Amazingly it is 25 years since one of the classic finals took place at The Crucible. Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor did battle in the greatest match to be witnessed at the Sheffield arena, and it all went down to the black in the 35th and final frame.
Who can forget the glasses that Taylor made famous, and when he raised his cue above his head, then delightedly waved his finger at the end after winning snooker’s elite prize? It kept 18.5million viewers on the edge of their seats, and no-one was any the wiser who would become world champion as midnight passed.
“It's hard to imagine 18.5 million people watching us play that last frame, but I think that's probably a modest estimate. The final attracted so much attention, people still come up to us both now and ask us about it,” Taylor said.
Taylor was the massive underdog heading into the match, and at the age of 36 he felt it was his last crack at a world title. The Nugget looked to be cruising to his fourth Crucible crown at 8-0 up. However, Taylor managed to make the score only 9-7 overnight.
The match was decided on the final black in the final frame. Davis was presented with the best chance to clinch the title. Unbelievably, he over-cut the black into the bottom left pocket, and his facial reaction was evident for all to see, knowing that his chance had gone and it was all over. “I don't really know how I missed the black, but when I missed I knew Dennis would win. It really was a battle of survival. I remember potting the last red and failing to get position on the last colour, my heart sank,” said Davis.
Cool as anything, Taylor stepped up and slotted the black away to be crowned world champion. “The pressure was unbelievable. The longer the match went on you could see Steve getting whiter and whiter, but I was getting redder and redder. I looked like a beetroot. It was a brilliant achievement and one I'm still really proud of now. But also I'm really proud to have been involved in such a great final," Taylor added.
The emotions and intensity of 1985 are set to be relived tomorrow, when Davis and Taylor will grace the table for one frame at 12pm. For Davis, playing is not an issue as he is still competing at the highest level, but for Taylor, it’s back to the practice table. "I've been practicing a bit. I've not picked a cue up properly for six or seven years, so I thought I'd better start doing a bit of work,” said 61-year-old Taylor.
The two are the best of friends as they regularly commentate for the BBC, but when they play each other in the single frame tomorrow, the rivalry from 25 years ago will come to the table once more.
Maybe we will see a black-ball finish again?
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