Steve Davis was so disappointed with losing to Stephen Lee in the final qualifying round for the World Snooker Championship that he left Sheffield’s English Institute of Sport without making comment.
The 10-2 mauling means that Davis’s season has ended prematurely. Before his failure to qualify for the World Championship, he also failed to make the cut for the China Open, which commences on March 28.
Davis, a six-time winner at the Crucible, had been hoping to reach the televised stages of the event, which will run from April 16 to May 2.
The 53-year-old harboured dreams of emulating his previous successes, as well as proving that last year’s defeat of John Higgins in the second round was no fluke. Although the most up to date snooker betting odds would have made Davis an outsider had he qualified, he could have still caused an upset or two.
Davis crashed out to eventual winner Neil Robertson 13-5 at the quarter-finals stage last year. Robertson will be hoping to become only the third man to successfully defend his crown at the Sheffield venue later this year.
Davis was clearly dejected when he left the English Institute of Sport, particularly as this is the first season since 1978 when he has failed to qualify for both the UK Championship and the World Championship. He has also dropped out of the world’s top 32 players. This means that serious questions are being asked about his future.
Dejection for Davis meant delight for Lee though and it was hard for him to conceal his amazement post-match.
He said: “I’m over the moon to beat Steve Davis 10-2.
“I couldn’t tell you how bad I’d feel if I didn’t get to the Crucible. It would have left a nasty taste after an okay season.
“Steve didn’t really know where the table had gone when I was 6-0, 7-0 up.”
The draw for the first round of the World Championship takes place next Monday, March 21 when the 16 qualifiers will find out which one of the 16 seeded potters they will play.
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