This year's BetVictor Welsh Open marks the 30th anniversary of one of snooker's all-time greats, Steve Davis, winning what turned out to be his 28th and last ranking title.
Davis was the king of the 1980s, capturing six world titles and 22 ranking events in that decade. As the 1990s arrived, Stephen Hendry usurped him as top dog with his relentlessly attacking approach, and then came the Class of 1992, as Ronnie O'Sullivan, John Higgins and Mark Williams helped drive the sport forward.
Still, as a 37-year-old Davis headed to the Newport Centre for the Welsh Open in January 1995, he was still very much a force to be reckoned with. He was ranked second in the world that season, behind Hendry, and he was defending champion having beaten Alan McManus in the final at the same venue a year earlier. A surprise defeat to Dave Harold in the last 32 of the UK Championship before Christmas may have dented his confidence, but Davis gained revenge by beating Harold 5-3 at the same stage in Newport. He went on to knock out Mark Williams, Mark Flowerdew and Peter Ebdon to reach the final.
Higgins, meanwhile, was just 19 at the time but was in the middle of an extraordinary breakthrough season in which he would win his first three ranking titles, as well as reaching the final of the Masters. While O'Sullivan was attracting headlines with his flamboyant style and charisma, Higgins was a faster learner on how to handle life on tour. By the end of 1998, Higgins had ten ranking titles under his belt, including a Crucible crown, to O'Sullivan's six.
On this occasion, the Wizard of Wishaw came from 4-0 down to beat Dene O'Kane 5-4, then edged out Stephen Lee by the same scoreline to set up a quarter-final with O'Sullivan. From 3-0 down, O'Sullivan rallied to 4-4, and looked set for victory until he missed a red to centre in the decider on 68. Converting a long red to a baulk corner, Higgins went on to make a fantastic 69 clearance, punching the air as the last black dropped; a scenario which would play out almost identically in the Masters final 11 years later.
A 6-1 thrashing of Chris Small set up a final meeting with Davis, the player Higgins had idolised in his early years. The early stages were close, Davis leading 4-3, but then the older man turned the screw by taking a succession of close frames and ran out a comfortable 9-3 victor.
“To be honest, at the age of 37, I should be past it," joked Davis. In fact, the pair met again in the final of the International Open in Bournemouth the following month, and this time Higgins triumphed 9-5. The Scot's career was beginning to blossom, while Davis, despite his success that day in Newport, was in decline. He enjoyed one more marvellous moment in 1997 when he beat O'Sullivan in the Masters final. But the Nugget's tally of ranking titles remained, for good, on 28.
The 2025 BetVictor Welsh Open runs from February 10-16 at Venue Cymru in Llandudno. Tickets are still available from as little as £33 for a full day. For details click here.