Davis books Crucible date

Davis: Returning to Sheffield showpiece

I'm delighted. I felt like a player today. I was really fired up today and played half decent.

Steve Davis
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Steve Davis secured a record 30th appearance at the Crucible with victory in the final round of qualifying for the betfred.com World Championship.

The 52-year-old snooker great beat Adrian Gunnell 10-4 at Sheffield's English Institute of Sport to earn a place in Thursday's first-round draw.

Davis said: "I'm delighted. I felt like a player today. I was really fired up today and played half decent.

"Adrian said it was the best he's seen me play for a couple of years and I think I agree with him."

Massive

The six-time world champion lost in the first round at the Crucible to eventual semi-finalist Neil Robertson last year.

"Every appearance is special," he added. "No-one can guarantee you'll ever be there again. It's massive, so exciting."

Davis revealed he and Stephen Hendry are in competition over who can be the oldest to appear at the Crucible. Hendry, 41, has a long way to go.

"It's my competition and Stephen knows about it. If he wants to carry on playing he's got to beat me turning up at the Crucible," Davis said.

"He's now got to be there at 53. He's the best player there's ever been in my opinion but I've still got one record he's going to find hard to beat.

"That's my driving force and I've put another year on it now."

Davis has seen fellow veterans John Parrott and Jimmy White fail to qualify this year, leaving question marks over their futures.

"If I am the last of the Mohicans I'll gladly take that, but there's no guarantee you've seen the last of those players," Davis added.

Tension

China's Liang Wenbo also qualified, beating Rod Lawler 10-2.

Ireland's Fergal O'Brien beat Scot Alan McManus for the first time in his career to earn a first-round berth, prevailing 10-4.

O'Brien failed in qualifying last year and said: "It feels amazing. It's horrific to miss out. This match is just horrible."

He won eight frames in a row from 4-2 down and admitted the tension among the players was obvious.

O'Brien explained: "You literally go from thinking if you lose you're thinking about packing the game in, to winning and thinking, 'Hey, I could go all the way.'

"At certain times here and even in the hotel there's nearly a stench of death in the place."

Mark Davis also booked his place in the first round, winning an all-English

clash with Dave Harold 10-7.

However, there was disappointment for two-time former finalist Matthew Stevens, as the 32-year-old Welshman crashed out 10-9 to 37-year-old Scot Marcus Campbell, failing for the second successive year to negotiate qualifying.