Steve Davis loses World Snooker Championship 2011 spot – Snooker news
Veteran cueist, Steve Davis has failed to enter the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield for World Snooker Championship 2011 initial stages. He missed his Crucible berth for the third time in his professional career since 1978. Earlier, he failed to participate
to the televised stages of the mega event in 2001 and 2002.
He lost to Stephen Lee 2-10 in the final round of the World Snooker Championship 2011 qualifiers at World Snooker Academy, in Sheffield.
The four-time UK champion was completely outplayed by the World Number 21 from the very beginning as he clinched eight consecutive frame wins, totally dismantling the master with some excellent potting shows to take an 8-0 lead. The Englishman fired some
outstanding knocks of 55, 55, 70, 56 and 98 in the first eight frames and a century break of 105 in the 10th confirmed his victory.
The Nugget reached the quarter-final stages in the previous episode of the World Snooker Championship in 2010, where he was taken by the Australian and current defending champion, Neil Robertson, 5-13 in the last-eight.
The most reputed player of snooker held his hopes high to click the final stages of the Betfred.com World Snooker Championship 2011 after beating youngster, Jack Lisowski, 10-9, in the penultimate qualifying match but Lee ended his hopes in the very next
round. The 1993 European Open champion, Davis, will not be participating in the upcoming Players Tour Championship (PTC) Final and the China Open as he has failed to qualify for these events too.
The 2006 Welsh Open champion, Lee, and the 53-year-old veteran previously faced each other in the first round of World Snooker Championship 2003 where the Ginger Magician, nicknamed Steve Davis, faced the same fate losing to Stephen Lee, 6-10.
Welshman, Matthew Stevens made it to the initial stages of the Betfred.com World Snooker Championship 2011 as he defeated Fergal O’Brien 10-9 in the decider frame on a black. Stevens was hard on O’Brien from the beginning as he led 2-0 early in the game,
but the Irishman stunned the 2003 UK Championship winner, Stevens, with his beautiful potting display taking back-to-back frames to level the score 2-2.
A stunning 55 break from Stevens in the 10th frame brought him two frames up at 6-4 followed by a magnificent century break of 100 from O’Brien in the 11th frame, which he won 32-100, making it 6-5. The 33-year-old Stevens was leading
8-6 at the end of 14th frame and was two frames away from victory when O’Brien stumbled back upon the table with some extraordinary potting display. He pocketed a couple of stunning breaks of 85, 36 and 82 in the next three frames to lead the game
8-9.
Before O’Brien could strike the hot spot, Stevens put forward his best shot and clinched the 18th frame firing a sensational century break of 129 to take the game to 9-9 which dragged the match into a decider frame. O’Brien led 1-42 in the start
of the frame cuing 42 before a 52 from Stevens ensured his victory as well as booked his spot in the initial stages of the Betfred.com World Snooker Championship 2011.
Who faces Stephen Lee and Matthew Stevens in the last-32, will be decided in the draw on March 21, 2011.
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