1985 World Snooker Championship final

The 1985 World Snooker Championship final, also known as the black ball final, was a snooker match played on the weekend of 27–28 April 1985 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. The match was the final of the 1985 World Snooker Championship contested between defending world champion Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor. Davis was appearing in his fourth final, and Dennis' second. Davis won every frame in the first session, but Taylor produced a determined comeback to win the match on the final ball of the final frame, sealing his only world title. The result was a major shock, as Davis had been widely predicted to win the match, having won three of the previous four world championships.

Steve Davis
Dennis Taylor
 Steve Davis (ENG)  Dennis Taylor (NIR)
World Champion in 1981, 1983, 1984 World Championship runner-up in 1979
27 years old 36 years old
World Ranking: 1 World Ranking: 11
Referee: John Williams[1]

The black ball final took place during the eighth year of the BBC's coverage of the World Snooker Championship, when snooker was reaching the zenith of its popularity. The climax of the final in the early hours of Monday 29 April was watched by 18.5 million people in the United Kingdom; this remains a record for BBC2, and is still the record for a post-midnight audience for any British TV channel. The total match time of 14 hours and 50 minutes is the longest ever recorded for a best-of-35-frames match.

Road to the final
Main article: 1985 World Snooker Championship

Steve Davis, ranked as the world number one and defending champion overcame Neal Foulds 10–8 in the opening round in what was his closest match until the final.[2][3] Davis played David Taylor in the second round, but held a three frame lead throughout much of the match at 6–3 and eventually won 13–4, after winning seven frames out of eight.[4][2] Davis trailed for the first time at the event in the quarter-finals, as he played Terry Griffiths. Griffiths won the first four frames, but Davis won the next four to tie the match 4–4.[5] Davis won six of the next eight to lead 10–6 after the second session and eventually won 13–6.[6][7] Davis required just three of the four scheduled sessions to overcome Ray Reardon in the semi-finals, winning 16–5.[8][9]

Dennis Taylor defeated Silvino Francisco in the opening round 10-2 after leading 8-1 after the first session.[10][11] Taylor played Australian Eddie Charlton in the second round, and won 13–6.[12] Taylor played Cliff Thorburn in the quarter-finals, in a match full of slow play.[5] Taylor lead 10–5 after an over nine hour second session, but later won three frames in a row in the final session to win 13–5.[7] Taylor lost the first two frames of his semi-final against Tony Knowles, but won 16 of the next 19 frames to win 16–5, the same scoreline as Davis.[13][9]

 Steve Davis (England) Round[14]  Dennis Taylor (Northern Ireland)
Opponent Result Opponent Result
 Neal Foulds (England) 10–8 First round  Silvino Francisco (South Africa) 10–2
 David Taylor (England) 13–4 Second round  Eddie Charlton (Australia) 13–6
 Terry Griffiths (Wales) 13–6 Quarter-finals  Cliff Thorburn (Canada) 13–6
 Ray Reardon (Wales) 16–5 Semi-finals  Tony Knowles (England) 16–5

Match report

Davis was strong favourite going into the tournament, having been ranked the world number one for two years and being the defending champion.[15] The two players had met twelve months earlier in the semi-finals of the 1984 World Championship, with Davis winning 16–9.[16][17] This was Davis' fourth world championship, having won the event on three occasions, including the previous year.[15] It was Taylor's second final, where he previously lost to Terry Griffiths 16–24.[18][19]

Taylor started the 1985 final with a break of over 50, but Davis gained a firm advantage by whitewashing Taylor in the first session 7–0 and also winning the first frame of the second session to lead 8–0.[20] However, Taylor won the ninth frame on the pink ball after Davis attempted, and missed, a fine cut on the green ball.[21] Appearing tired and unfocused, Davis lost six of the next seven frames, as Taylor produced the highest break of the final, a 98, to trail 7–9 overnight.[20][21] Davis won two of the first three frames on the second day, to lead 11–8, before Taylor tied the match at 11–11.[20][21] Davis took both of the next two frames on the final black ball to lead 13–11.[20] Taylor, however, won four of the next six again drew level at 15–15.[21] Davis appeared the more nervous of the two players and was beginning to make unforced errors; despite this, he won the next two frames to regain the lead at 17–15.[21] Taylor then won a closely fought 33rd frame, followed by a 50+ break in frame 34, to level the match at 17–17 and force a deciding frame.[20]

The final frame

Frame 35 was the last and deciding frame of the final, which lasted 68 minutes.[20][21] Davis led 62–44, with only the last four colour ball on the table, worth 22 points.[21]Taylor potted the first three colours to trail 59–62 in the final frame. The match was to be decided on the black ball, worth seven points.[22] Taylor attempted to double the ball into the left middle pocket. The shot missed, but the ball rebounded to a safe position at the top of the table. Davis then played an safety shot, putting the black near the middle of the baulk cushion and leaving the cue ball near the right-hand cushion, a little above the corner pocket.[22] In response, Taylor again attempted to double the black ball, this time into the top-left corner pocket. The black missed but rebounded up and down the table, eventually landing above the left middle pocket to a safe position.[22]

Davis's next attempt double-kissed and left Taylor with a reasonable middle-distance pot to the green corner pocket.[22] However, he missed the pot, to which commentator Jim Meadowcroft described as "biggest shot of his life".[3] This left Davis a thin cut in the top left corner. He missed the shot, and left the balls in a position for a regular pot into the same pocket, which Taylor potted, and won the match.[23] The final finished at 12.23 a.m. on 29 April 1985.[23]

The match holds several records. The final is the longest match ever held over the length of 35 frames at 14 hours and 50 minutes.[24] The final moments of the final was watched by 18.5 million viewers, the most ever in the United Kingdom for a broadcast after midnight and for any BBC Two program.[20]

Match statistics

The scores for the match is shown below. Frames won are denoted by bold text and .[25][26][27]

Final: (Best of 35 frames) Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, 27 & 28 April. Referee: John Williams[28]
Steve Davis (1)
 England		 17–18 Dennis Taylor (11)
 Northern Ireland
Players Session 1: 7–0
Frame 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Davis 88† 93† (87) 49† 65† 95† (55) 85† (66) 83† (58) N/A N/A N/A N/A
Taylor 50 (50) 0 2 38 1 6 20 N/A N/A N/A N/A
Players Session 2: 2–7 (9–7)
Frame 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Davis 121† (64, 57) 49 76† (57) 48 27 19 1 0 48 N/A N/A
Taylor 0 59† 27 63† 75† (61) 99† (98) 71† (70) 100† (56) 77† N/A N/A
Players Session 3: 4–4 (13–11)
Frame 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Davis 25 72† 66† 45 2 1 64† 58† N/A N/A N/A
Taylor 68† (53) 43 58 80† 73† (57) 80† (55) 56 46 N/A N/A N/A
Players Session 4: 4–7 (17–18)
Frame 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Davis 86† (86) 43 78† (66) 29 4 29 66† 81† 47 24 62
Taylor 13 82† (61) 17 84† (70) 72† (57) 83† (79) 6 0 75† 71† (57) 66†
87 Highest break 98
0 Century breaks 0
12 50+ breaks 10
Dennis Taylor wins the 1985 Embassy World Snooker Championship


= Winner of frame

Legacy

Davis also lost the following year's final to Joe Johnson.[29] He would, however, win the following three in a row between 1987 and 1989, winning six championships in total.[30] Davis and Taylor met on one further occasion, in the quarter-final of the 1991 World Snooker Championship, with Davis winning comfortably 13–7.[31] Taylor never reached the final again,[30] but did win the Masters in 1987, again producing a comeback this time against Alex Higgins.[32]

Some months after the 1985 World Championship, a special programme was recorded in which both players watched the entire frame and discussed it shot by shot. As host David Vine stated, this was in fact the first time that Davis had watched the frame. The programme features some insight into certain shots. Taylor asks Davis about one shot in particular, a potentially key shot. After Taylor had missed the initial double into the centre pocket and then the long double into the top pocket, Davis was left with a chance to either double the black into the top right hand pocket, or play the black "around the angles" with a chance of making the "cocked hat" shot into the centre pocket. Taylor, like millions of TV viewers watching that night, did not know which of the two shots Davis had played. Davis confirmed that he had in fact played the latter, but had not got the angle necessary to pull it off easily. In fact, he states that it may have worked but "I hit it too hard, the white checked up."[33]

For the crucial shot, where Davis missed the a cut into the corner pocket Davis stated "I was saying to myself, don't hit it thick" and "that's how you bottle it, by hitting it thick." He summarised: "although I missed the black, it wasn't that shot which lost the match. There were other shots earlier in the frame." In particular, Davis mentions how close he was to being able to pot a pink which he snookered himself on that changed the course of the match.[33] The programme was later released on DVD as "The Greatest Snooker Final of All Time" by Retro Videos. Both players now commentate on BBC's snooker coverage and are often reminded of that match. The black-ball finish was voted the ninth greatest sporting moment of all time in a 2002 Channel 4 poll.[34][35]

During the 2010 World Championship, Taylor and Davis 're-created' the final frame of the 1985 final. Performed in a distinctly irreverent manner, the "rerun" was noticeable for the fact that in attempting to replicate the missed shots on the final black, they instead ended up potting it on all but one attempt. The one attempt on the black they missed was the shot Taylor potted in the 1985 match to win the championship.[36] BBC Two aired a one-hour documentary on the final, Davis v Taylor: The '85 Black Ball Final, presented by Colin Murray, after the conclusion of the coverage of the 2010 final.[37]

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References
  1. Downer, Chris (2012). Crucible Almanac. p. 143.
  2. Davis, Steve (9 April 2015). Interesting: My Autobiography. ISBN 9781473502482. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  3. "The Black Ball Final – Thirty Years On". Culture Northern Ireland. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  4. Everton, Clive (19 April 1985). "Davis smoothly into last eight". The Guardian. London. p. 24.
  5. Everton, Clive (23 April 1985). "Parrott fashions overnight lead". The Guardian. London. p. 26.
  6. "Embassy World Championship". Snooker Scene. Birmingham: Everton's News Agency. June 1985. pp. 15–17.
  7. Everton, Clive (24 April 1985). "Davis in mood to break prize barrier". The Guardian. London. p. 26.
  8. Everton, Clive (27 April 1985). "Victory Taylor-ed for Davis". The Guardian. London. p. 14.
  9. Nunns, Hector (2017). The Crucible's Greatest Matches: Forty Years of Snooker's World Championship in Sheffield. Pitch Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78531-284-7.
  10. Everton, Clive (16 April 1985). "Francisco now the fallen star". The Guardian. London. p. 26.
  11. Pithers, Malcolm (16 April 1985). "Cue for a throng". The Guardian. London. p. 21.
  12. "World Championship 1985". Global Snooker. Archived from the original on 6 March 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
  13. Crucible Diary. Snooker Scene. 20 June 1985. p. 19.
  14. "World Championship 1985". Global Snooker. Archived from the original on 6 March 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
  15. "BBC SPORT | Other Sport | Snooker | 1984: Davis outshines White". news.bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 24 September 2003. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  16. Friskin, Sydney (7 May 1984). "Davis undermines White's confidence". The Times. p. 16 – via The Times Digital Archive. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
  17. Hale, Janice (6 May 1984). "White wakes up the Crucible". The Observer. p. 35 – via ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Guardian and The Observer. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
  18. "BBC SPORT | Other Sport | Snooker | 1979: Griffiths creates miracle". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  19. "Then and Now: Terry Griffiths". Eurosport UK. Archived from the original on 10 June 2012. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
  20. "1985: The black ball final". BBC Sport. 18 April 2003. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
  21. "April 29 down the years: The greatest Crucible final". ESPN. Archived from the original on 1 December 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
  22. Phillips-Knight, Rob. "Taylor snatches the 'black-ball final'". ESPN. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
  23. "Taylor snatches the 'black-ball final'". ESPN.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2 April 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  24. "Various Snooker Records". Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 10 February 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2010.
  25. "Embassy World Championship". Snooker Scene. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  26. Everton, Clive (1985). Guinness Snooker – The Records. Guinness Superlatives Ltd. pp. 86–87. ISBN 0851124488.
  27. Downer, Chris (2012). Crucible Almanac. pp. 20–21.
  28. Downer, Chris (2012). Crucible Almanac. p. 143.
  29. "1986: Johnson stuns snooker world". BBC Sport. 18 April 2003. Archived from the original on 2 May 2004. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  30. Turner, Chris. "World Professional Championship". cajt.pwp.Greatestueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 16 April 2013. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
  31. Downer, Chris (2012). Crucible Almanac. pp. 32–33.
  32. Turner, Chris. "The Masters". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 7 January 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
  33. The Greatest Snooker Final of All Time (DVD). Retro Videos. October 2006. ASIN B000EU1M4Y.
  34. Philip, Robert (14 April 2005). "Taylor still on song as he relives past glory". The Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 10 November 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
  35. "100 Greatest Sporting Moments – Results". Channel4.com. Archived from the original on 18 January 2010. Retrieved 16 April 2007.
  36. "Steve Davis & Dennis Taylor stage rematch of 1985 final". BBC Sport. 29 April 2010. Archived from the original on 28 March 2010. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
  37. "Davis v Taylor: The '85 Black Ball Final". UK TV Guide. Archived from the original on 5 February 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
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