Davis stuns world snooker champion

The St Leonards-based talent, ranked 17 in the world, defeated John Higgins 4-1 in round two of Players Tour Championship event 12 last Thursday afternoon, knocking in a break of 121 along the way.

Former Six Reds World Champion Davis earlier saw off Belgian amateur Hans Blanckaert 4-1, but missed out on a place in the last 32 - to be played in Munich next month - after losing 4-1 to 28th-ranked Joe Perry in round three.

Davis returned to the baize on Saturday morning for PTC event 11 at the World Snooker Academy in Sheffield and made an impressive start by whitewashing 85th-ranked Matthew Couch 4-0 aided by a break of 105 in frame one.

The PTC event four runner-up then eliminated 89th-ranked Luca Brecel 4-1 despite the 16-year-old Belgian prodigy compiling a run of 102 before coming from 3-1 down to edge out 23rd-ranked Scottish cueman Marcus Campbell 4-3.

Davis cruised past another Scottish player Stephen Maguire 4-0 in the last 16 on Monday morning, knocking in a break of 114 in frame three, but was beaten 4-3 in an epic quarter-final by 34th-ranked Anthony Hamilton.

Thirteenth on the PTC order of merit after the first 10 of the 12 qualifying events, 39-year-old Davis has comfortably done enough to secure his place in the 24-man Grand Final during March.

The full article will appear in Friday’s Hastings Observer.