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I'd say he would pot the red and roll up behind a colour leaving a ridiculous snooker for Hendry, and in the end it goes to a draw and Davis pots the black.. making it twice?
He takes a long look.
He sees disappointedly that even if he were to pot the red, he would not be able to have any sort of shot on the pink either
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I still reckon a cross double on the black might have been on! My only other idea is that he doubles the pink after the 15th red which contradicts the text above. The frame would then end up 66-66 and Davis wins the toss and doubles the black on the respot (as I did a few weeks ago - lol).
The Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, England, 1.03a.m., Tuesday 6 May 2008
Stephen Hendry 17 - 17 Steve Davis
“Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. The final frame. Steve Davis to break.”
Davis’s break off leaves a long red on. Hendry, seeing no safety shot enabling return to baulk, takes the pot on. In it goes, and he begins what increasingly looks like it will be a frame- and championship-winning break!
By the time that the Scot has potted the first 10 reds with colours, few of the 984 live spectators, the 23 million watching on UK television or the 100 million watching worldwide expect Davis to return to the table. But when Hendry badly misjudges his attempted pot of the 11th red, the 50-year old Englishman rises from his seat. Davis does not need to look again at the scoreboard, but does so to make sure. He is 66 points behind. There are 5 reds remaining on the table! It would be an extremely difficult clearance, even under practice conditions, but this match, in fact this tournament, is not over yet!
Davis looks unfazed. His immaculate technique and positional play serve him faithfully at this hour of his greatest challenge. Each time he makes sure to take blacks after the reds have been potted.
Finally, he is faced with the 15th red, the safest one of all, on the baulk cushion. He has managed to get the cue ball near the baulk cushion, but it is tight on the side cushion and almost straight on the red. It will be impossible this time for him to get any possible position on the black, even if he manages to pot that last, very tough red.
He takes a long look. He sees disappointedly that even if he were to pot the red, he would not be able to have any sort of shot on the pink either. He could play position for a baulk colour, but looking at the scoreboard just confirms to him what he knew, of course, already: that if he did so, he would be left requiring a snooker!
Davis has not won more major titles than anyone else in the sport without learning a thing or two about how to play the game. He pots the red and – it turns out – pots the black twice more during the frame without Hendry getting back to the table.
Frame score: Stephen Hendry 17 - 18 Steve Davis
World Titles: Stephen Hendry 7 - 7 Steve Davis
The rivalry will be settled next year. But what happened in that last frame?
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