P241 CEEFAX 241 Tue 8 May 21:24/25 2/6 PORTRAIT OF A CHAMPION Steve Davis' victory in the Embassy World Championship merely confirmed what everuone believed anyway....that he is the world's best player. Indeed, such is his esteem, that if he had failed to pick up the £44,000 firstprize in Sheffield it would not have affected his standing in any way. On an off day, Davis is beatable, but these lapses are so rare they are almost collector's items and are certainly treasured by the winning opponent. BBC2 Sport Index 230More
P241 CEEFAX 241 Tue 8 May 21:29/01 3/6 PORTRAIT OF A CHAMPION The complex make-up of the BritUsh personality makes us want to knock down our champions. Steve Davis falls into that category. Crowds at The Crucible were unashamedlyon the side of Davis' opponent whether he were English, Welsh, Irish or even Australian. This support was a manifestation of the British admiration for the underdogand a desire to have the champion humbled in some manner to stop him becoming, in the words of one spectator, "too cocky". BBC2 Sport Index 230More
P241 CEEFAX 241 Tue 8 May 21:13/51 4/6 PORTRAIT OF A CHAMPION Oddly, despite what appears to be a superior attitude on the table, Davis is not "cocky". His manager, Barry Hearn, who cracks jokes at the speed Jimmy White pots balls, says: "If Steve ever got a big head we would take it off him." What Davis has, and needs to have to cope with the mental pressures Nf playing top flight snooker, is supreme confidence in his abilitu. He also has an irrepressible desire to play snooker. BBC2 Sport Index 230More
P241 CEEFAX 241 Tue 8 May 21:10/15 5/6 PORTRAIT OF A CHAMPION Hearn again: "Even if we give Steve a couple of days off he will be at my club the next day playing snNoker for a couple of hours. "He loves the game and is unhappy if he is not playing." It would be wrong to dismiss Davis as merely a colourless snooker machine, however. One snooker journalist rubbished reports that Davis is boring away from the table with: "I can't think of any player I would rather spend time with than Steve. He is very amusing once he feels he knows you."
P241 CEEFAX 241 Tue 8 May 21:11/40 6/6 PORTRAIT OF A CHAMPION The world title is the icing Nn top Nf an incredible season for Davis. He has won, or been in the winning team, in nine of the 12 major tournaments he has played this season. He knows he can only go down and that is the motivation that fuelc a rage for perfection. Manager Barry Hearn sums it up. "When he was young Steve used to talk abNut wanting to be one of the greatest namesin snooker. That is what keeps him motivated now." BBC2 Sport Index 230More