Six-time world champion Steve Davis announced his retirement from snooker on this day in 2016.
Davis brought his career to a fitting close, bowing out at the Crucible in Sheffield, where he won all six of his world titles.
He called time after 38 years as a professional, winning 28 ranking titles, three Masters crowns and making 355 century breaks.
He also played in the most memorable world final of all, losing on the black in the deciding frame against Dennis Taylor in 1985.
Davis’ father Bill Davis died at the age of 89 in March 2016, and in an emotional press conference Steve Davis told how he had entered the recent World Championship qualifiers for his father, knowing it was one last bid to earn a place in the televised stages.
A 10-4 defeat to Fergal O’Brien in the first of three qualifying rounds merely confirmed to Davis it was time to quit.
Davis was world champion in 1981, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988 and 1989. “Then Stephen Hendry came along and nicked all my sweets,” Davis joked.
“I don’t want to play any more, it’s too hard. There were matches that by the time I had got in the car I had already forgotten about them.
“Back in the day, you would have gone home and been furious for two or three days later and you didn’t calm down. I noticed that it didn’t matter as much.
“I’ve had moments at the Crucible where it has been the most wonderful place and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
“I have also had times in that place where I’ve wanted it to swallow me up – it was the worst place ever.”
There was a rousing reception for Davis as he was allowed the Crucible arena floor to himself after revealing his retirement plan.
He walked around, holding up the World Championship trophy, and was treated to a standing ovation.
Ronnie O’Sullivan dismisses talk of greatness ahead of World Championship opener
Ronnie O’Sullivan shrugged off suggestions of greatness on the eve of his bid to eclipse Stephen Hendry and become the first player to win eight world snooker titles in the modern era.
O’Sullivan is already routinely described as the best player to pick up a cue after a record-breaking career that includes eight Masters and eight UK titles within a total of 41 ranking tournament wins.
But the 48-year-old, who starts his first round match against Welsh qualifier Jackson Page on Wednesday, has never been one to pore over the record books, and questions whether such plaudits are worth having at all.
“I don’t regard myself as the greatest of all time,” said O’Sullivan. “Statistically I suppose I am, but I’m just happy to be playing.
“I suppose as a kid I would have been desperate to be up with those guys but when you get there it’s a bit of an anti-climax – it’s not as great as you thought it would be.”
O’Sullivan, who won his first world title in 2001, currently sits on seven alongside Hendry, with Davis and Ray Reardon one behind on six wins each.
Yet while the title-winning eras of those fellow greats spanned less than a decade, O’Sullivan’s longevity, which shows all the signs of pushing on beyond a quarter of a century, makes the reign of the ‘Rocket’ indisputably unique.
“I’ve had a different career to them,” added O’Sullivan. “They just did it over a 10-year period while I’ve sort of gone off track for five or six years, then got myself back together, then disappeared for another three years, then got myself back together again.
“I was a bit all over the shop really, stuff going on off the table that can affect how you perform. Hendry and Davis had everything fitted around them to focus on snooker, but that’s how it worked out for me, so I’ve had to go on longer.”
“I love playing, I enjoy it. I get to travel where I want, take time off when I want, be my own boss. It’s those little things, and you want to win because competitiveness has always been in me.
Amid more top-level retirement talk, with Mark Selby the latest to question his future in the sport after his first round defeat to Joe O’Connor, O’Sullivan appears to be heading back to the Crucible intent on many more attempts to increase his legacy.
He has linked up with a new coach and is clearly putting the effort in ahead of his opener against 22-year-old Page, who beat Barry Hawkins on his Crucible debut two years ago before suffering a heavy defeat to Mark Williams in round two.
O’Sullivan added: “I love playing, I enjoy it. I get to travel where I want, take time off when I want, be my own boss. It’s those little things, and you want to win because competitiveness has always been in me.
“I’m pretty cool with what I’ve done and I’d like to keep winning more. Whether that makes me the greatest or not, I don’t know. It really doesn’t matter.”
Jack Lisowski forges ahead against Ding Junhui in tight Crucible clash
Jack Lisowski forged a 5-4 lead in his World Snooker Championship opener against Ding Junhui as the clash lived up to its billing as the tie of the round.
Lisowski, who reached the quarter-finals at the Crucible in 2022, had to qualify for this year’s tournament after dropping out of the top 16, beating Matthew Stevens 10-3 last week to book his ticket.
But after falling behind early on against Ding, Lisowski looked back to his best as he edged a highly entertaining first session.
Lisowski, 32, looked in danger of being blown away by Ding on Tuesday morning as the 2016 finalist flew out of the blocks, compiling a clearance worth 127 to win the opening frame.
The Chinese star then enjoyed a huge slice of luck in the second as he fluked a red into a middle pocket early on, but a missed black at 23-0 opened the door for Lisowski to pot his first ball of the day.
Lisowski was only able to score a solitary point at that visit before letting Ding back in, though, and he finished the frame with a break of 60 to make it 2-0.
The Englishman hit back in the next, rattling off a break of 72 to reduce Ding’s lead to one.
And Lisowski went into the mid-session interval tied at 2-2 courtesy of a break of 91 in the fourth frame.
Ding displayed his brilliant battling qualities in the fifth frame as he conjured a 98 to edge ahead once more.
An attritional sixth frame, which lasted more than half an hour as a tactical battle broke out, went Lisowski’s way as he drew level.
But Ding made quick work of the next frame, winning it with a break of 90 to go 4-3 up before Lisowski took the eighth.
And Lisowski won the final frame of the session to lead for the first time in the match.
Former finalist Kyren Wilson has one foot in the second round after storming into an 8-1 lead against Welshman Dominic Dale, who is making his Crucible comeback after a 10-year absence.
Wilson started brightly, winning the first two frames before Dale seemed set to get his first frame on the board after opening up a 30-0 lead in the third.
But Wilson made Dale pay for missing the pink as he roared back with a break of 75 to take a 3-0 lead.
Dale was not to be denied in the fourth frame, though, producing a stunning break of 120 to get on the scoreboard.
Wilson regained command immediately after the interval with a phenomenal break of 123 before a 98 in the next frame moved him 5-1 in front.
Englishman Wilson then showed exceptional nerve to come from behind to win the next frame 74-70 to extend his lead to five.
Wilson’s dominance continued as he won the next two frames with breaks of 77 and 73 to extend his massive lead.
On this day in 2006: Alan Shearer announces retirement from football
Newcastle striker Alan Shearer announced his retirement from football on this day in 2006.
The former England captain confirmed that his career had been brought to a close at the age of 35 after sustaining a knee injury in the Wear-Tyne derby the previous week.
In what turned out to be his final game for the Magpies, Shearer scored a penalty as his side went on to win 4-1 against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
However, he was forced to call time on his playing days after tearing his medial ligament in a challenge with Julio Arca.
News of his retirement came as Newcastle faced West Brom in their efforts to secure European football.
A huge banner was displayed in an act of appreciation at the Gallowgate End of St James’ Park, showing Shearer in his famous goal celebration pose with the message: “Thanks for 10 great years.”
With their talisman sidelined, goals from Nolberto Solano and Shola Ameobi kicked off the post-Shearer era as the Magpies beat the Baggies 3-0 in front of 52,272 fans.
The crowd were sparked into full voice 15 minutes from time when Shearer briefly poked his head out of the dugout.
Shearer arrived back to his native Tyneside in 1996 after transferring from Blackburn, and went on to score 206 goals in his 10 years at Newcastle.
He is regarded as the greatest Premier League striker, scoring a record 260 goals, and won three Golden Boots during his career.
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