Fast and Aggressive Snooker in the 80s | Alex Higgins vs Steve Davis | 1985 Masters L16
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- čas přidán 13. 08. 2023
- Enjoy the final moments of this iconic encounter between two Snooker Titans (frames 6 and 8 are unavailable). The score bar has been included for better enjoyment.
Match date: 27 January 1985
All statistics are as of the game date unless otherwise noted.
Cesar Muroya created a unique editing format to extract the essence of the game without losing the drama involved. Contextual information is also an innovation appreciated by viewers.
This format is not intended to substitute the full version but make Snooker more accessible to new fans. The fluency and atmosphere of the game stay in a shorter-length video, allowing even experienced fans to enjoy Snooker at any time.
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These guys made snooker what it is. It seemed more exciting and intense back then. All us kids wanted snooker tables for Christmas. Great days.
Steve Davis made it what it is, Alex was sadly always an obnoxious sore loser with the mentality of an 8 year old
So true. They were great days. remember indoor league on sundays?
Players in those days were characters you could identify with - not automatons like 90% of modern players.
It still amazes me that he was able to play a technical game to this high standard whilst totally wasted alot of the time. Such a legend, never to be repeated. Rest in peace champ
i didn;t know that......dammnn
He was a horrible vile man
Everyone plays better after a few drinks. It's like driving a car. And I bet plenty of players have a drink, before the game, and during breaks. All that's changed is they're not allowed to do it in public. Ronnie smokes weed during breaks in sessions😂
I am new to watching snooker and I am totally hooked. I have been binge watching current matches but I thoroughly enjoyed this classic as well.
Check out Alex clearance he did it's probably the best in Snooker history he had to clear the table to win one shot if he missed he probably loses the blue shot he did is just mind bogging in that clearance if you notice this match is on older tables the nap of the cloth was double the size as to the new cloth today witch means you only have to hit it half as hard for the same juice is why you see alot new players get so much juice I wish I could see Alex on these new cloths he would love them a ball about a foot away from the corner poket the cue ball was down pass bulk line I believe he put back spin on the ball after he attempted to pot the ball in the corner he acculy drew that cue ball back to the rail it's unbelievable the talent this man had cuz that was on the old cloth and that shot is very very difficult gl tc
That plant at 5.44 is truly phenomenal. To miss that and to know that the frame is done. I was 10 when he won that world championship back in 1982. I love Alex Higgins like I love Jimmy White like I love Ronnie O'Sullivan. They are just so special ❤.
R.I.P. Alex 😢
That really was amazing.
The most naturally talented player to ever pick up a snooker cue.
Thank you for the upload.
R.I.P Alex❤
Yes. I agree. Steve Davis so talented. Alex playing laughingly poor here.
Watch Ronnie O'Sullivan playing as a 14 year old. I've no doubt he'd had some coaching by then but you can't teach what he had at that age.
Trust me people loved Alex way more than they do Ronnie ❤
correct. that point isn't made often enough. alex had a mesmeric quality that o''sullivan has never had, largely because his personality was more interesting. o'sullivan was and is a bit of a bore
@@paulhiggins1577 very well said and so true big-time ,couldn't of put it better freind and some of ,the great celebrations with Alex and fans were so intense it was like ,a football crowd celebrating ,a big goal but it was just us with the hurricane.
Alex' play is so raw, natural, and somehow emotional. It is relatable and exciting. All about instinct, staying in the moment and visualizing it as well as possbile to pull stuff off. It's sad that frame 6 and 8 are missing where Higgins won. Still great to see this stuff Cesar-edited, thanks!! Perhaps some Jimmy White match in the future? 🙂
He was a maverick to say the least. Joy to watch
With Higgins talent he should have worked harder on his game to have enabled him to beat Davis most or all the time.Fact is he usually just didn't have the game to do this.Davis beat him almost every time.Sorry but at his best Higgins was mesmerising but this was rare.
Higgins would not have been able to play that way in today's game. He had very little if no safety game which doesn't get you anywhere with today's air hockey tables and break building skill. One mistake and you lose the frame.
Today's cloths are far superior & thinner which enables slicker play & easier potting. Some tables in the 70/80's were so slow, like playing on a knitted sweater. Higgins defeated players like White, Hendry & Davis - all of whom I believe would have held their own at top level now.
Two days before I was born.....no wonder the crowd were so happy😋
I enjoy watching anything that puts the play of Ronnie O'Sullivan into context. I very much enjoyed watching Steve Davis in his prime, but ROS seems to be from another planet. Alex Higgins deserved so much better.
Thanks for this gem. We watched this live when shown all those years ago. Alex has always been a hero of mine. He made snooker. he was also the finest player I have seen.
The George Best of snooker. Thanks for memories Alex. RIP
thanks for this - please do more of Alex if possible? so glad he won this...!
I like how back then they could smoke and drink beer with no one giving a fuck 🤠🍺
to woke now
Have a look at pictures of Alex in his last years. He was only 61 when he died and looked like 91. That is what happens when you don't give a fuck, particularly about smoking. His 80 a day habit left his mouth, throat and teeth absolutely wrecked.
Cesar … thank you so much for posting this. I do not know how many game videos are available from the 70s and 80s, but I for one would not be discouraged by imperfect video quality. I’d love to see more Riordan, or Alex Higgins, or any of the old guys play. I think it gives a real sense of history and valuable context. Also, I love hearing people cough.
Oh the Hazy day's of the 80's. Cheer's Cesar. ☘
the more I watch Higgins, the more I get the impression he would have been a superb pool hustler.
Hey Cesar, the heading at the beginning: "...before he died. Years later..." sounds like it was "years later" after he died. Gave me a laugh. Anyway, just more superb editing. Love your vids! Hope you're good because it's been a few months since you posted!
I will post a new video soon :)
Might be just me but I used to always think that even the click of the balls sounded different when higgins hit them.
The amount of work that gets put into these videos👏
Love from Pakistan🇵🇰
Sanga Ye!!!
Thank you so much for this piece, meant a lot to me .
After watching this it is apparent taht O sullivan has moved snooker into another world.
That was really enjoyable, thank you. I love Higgins' soft shots.
Brilliant match, brilliant video and a high quality snooker from the Great players! Thanks, Mr. Muroya! ❤❤❤
I love Clive Everton. Sharp, distinctive, professionally critical.
And the huge bouquets of flowers are so 70s. “Do something to brighten up the stage, Bertie!”
Probably fake too, don't think real ones could have coped with all the fag smoke.
Love the flowers. But not as much as I used to love the big globes they decorated the arena with at the Embassy World Championships. These online gambling companies now have no class at all - just tacky and homogenous with their brand logos plastered across every inch of the arena.
Old but gold
Such beautiful cue action from Alex,the people’s champion,no other player like him,RIP ALEX
I think it's a good action too. Many people comment on the body movement he has but the way he actually delivers the cue is an excellent example of long straight follow through and excellent timing.
The best player to keep you on the edge of your seat,absolutely no argument.Mad at times,but what a talent.
Great video. Plz do more older snooker matches.
This snooker at it's best....love Alex and amazing player and Steve Davis. No stupidness just amazing snooker ❤❤🏴
We need a new Alex Higgins to come on the scene. Enthralling and exciting and reckless and entertaining and a top player to booth. Who out there matches him for this?
Trump?
There are quite a few "entertainers" in today's snooker (Trump, Brecel and Ronnie are a pleasure to watch on their good days), but a truly reckless player will probably never reach the top (8) ranks again. You simply can't afford that against a Selby or a Higgins, because they will punish you just like Steve did in the two frames lost by Higgins. That's why even Trump only plays his "naughty snooker" when the frame's already won.
We have Ronnie
@@Billy.Nomates we sure do but I meant coming up after him and Judd etc
@JohnJaySnookerShorts500 got you..to be honest,when Ronnie retires,I'll find it harder to watch
The people's champion..RIP alex...legend.
Saw it at the time....amazing game....Wembley hated Davis...Loved Alex....the mob was happy....I still have this tape and UK final 83
Автору! Как всегда ОТЛИЧНЫЙ МАТЕРИАЛ!!!
СПАСИБО!!!
И смонтировано безупречно, без лишних пауз и повторов!
БРАВО !!!
Perfect and attractive play...
Higgins was a rock star.
"The image quality improves after this frame."
That should be the longest frame in snooker history! 😁
I knew alex higgins personally.. on the one hand he was so generous but on the other hand he was a a bit crazy... a real one of a kind..
It was a great feeling when Alex beat Davis. Shame the rivalry didn't last longer, probably missed the peak of Alex Higgins, when you see how good players are in their 40s now. Reardon was great in his 40s, but I don't think he drank as much vodka😂
Higgins beat Davis again in the Irish Masters a few weeks after this match 6-2 but overall Davis gave Higgins some heavy beatings. 25-5 in career matches to Davis. After the 6-2 Irish Masters defeat they played 12 more matches with Davis winning 11 in a row before the last was a 4-4 draw. This match was played on Wed 30th January at 7.30pm. I was at Wembley for the afternoon match between Big Bill and Griffiths. I saw Higgins inside the venue at the interval and asked him politely if he'd sign my programme. There was no crowd of people around him, I was the only person who asked him. He said "later, later" and walked off. Davis was a far better player and was also very approachable, he had time for everyone.
@@digeme69 They were completely different personalities. If Davis had all the problems Alex did, I doubt he would've been so approachable.
@sharpvidtube Alex's problems were mostly self-inflicted though, so he had nobody to blame but himself.
@@castleanthrax1833 Spot on!
Alex got cancer & it ended any hopes of a serious come back he may have had.
Alex never really down on the cue it works for him😂enjoyed watching him back in the day🔴
Those big flowers though 😆
Everyone talks about the Taylor Davis final rightly so , but Higgins also came back from 7-0 down to beat davis a few years earlier . Higgins had that period when hen could of been 4 or 5 times world champion and masters champion 3 times and uk maybe 2 times.
doesn't take long to realise his technique wasn't "crazy" at all, he did all the textbook things apart from the twitching at the end of the shot. Very talented player
Yes, he obviously had a very good eye and was a naturally gifted snooker player.
It was crazy though,compared to the other players conventional techniques. All other professionals say they were surprised how good he was playing like he did
drunken master without any disrespect to the best snooker player ever.Did you ever play pool when you start to get a feeling and you feel invicible.He was the best at it sadly it had repercussions.
@@Billy.Nomateshe only moved after hed hit the ball. Aslong as you line up properly and hit the cue ball at the intended spot you will make the pot.
It’s a twitch because there’s no pause
Applauding for straight shots lollll
alex plays how we all wish we could...thats how we know he is an original and a freak...people go on about the standard these days...perhaps they are right...but i bet all the top players of today envy him
wow the celebrations at the end as if he'd won the whole thing, it was only the last 16 !
Higgins was decent, but let’s be honest, Davis took the game to another level and spawned the relentless high break snooker required in the modern game, hendry then O’Sullivan have taken it even further
ERA UM GRANDE CLÁSSICO DA SINUCA MUNDIAL! 👍👍
I was lucky to play some snooker with Alex in 3 clubs I played in Master's Stockport, wher he also used to play big money games with other pro like Paul Madati Billy Clegg, The Grovesnor Manchester, Potter's Eccles in the early 90's I was more the ball boy, You think he was good on TV you should of seen him in the clubs RIP a great guy funny and sharp, and is the only player I knew could smoke and hold a glass and pott the ball, still love his talent👍
The best legend
Alex even after all these years in a match gone almost gives you a heart attack watching. Davies was a wonderful player and not as slow as some portrayed. Ronnie is the Goat for sure, no doubt, but Alex pulled on your heart like no other.
I think the BBC should repeat snooker classics from past years xxxlol all the best ❤❤❤ 1:05
Remember watching this live... its apparent how brilliant his close ball control/touch was.. all modern players have really just become more prolific with breakbuilding but definitely not more than Higgins had in terms of ability and position
The 80s and 90s saw quite a few good players from India...Geet Sethi and Michael Ferreira to name just two. Geet had quite a good rivalry with Steve Davis. Can you manage a few retro videos of a few matches featuring players from India?
Geet was billiards?
@@johndean8295 Geet was primarily a billiards player, but he did play snooker too. Yasin Merchant, Sonic Multani were the better snooker players those days.
What about ohbi agrawal who sadly passed away ?
@@johndean8295 Om Agarwal...fantastic player.
Not heard of these players before
The definition of...Nerves of Steel. I couldn't sit on my bum quietly for 10mins....!!!! foooouuuffff
How Steve Davis changed the game was his positional play. For instance, if you watch Higgins and White play in the 1980s, they are often out of position, and just makes up for it with long pots. That's how people played. But Steve's positional play in the 1980s is similar to the standards you get today - very exact. He was decades ahead of his time
THEE GREATEST SNOOKER OWES YOU BIG TIME ALEX , JIMMY AND RONNIE
Great memories of Alex playing entertaining snooker , his weakest point was his positional play it kept letting him down , I watched him all jus carrer as I was a big fan if he could have better position play he would have won loads more .
Very ❤nice
5:45 To score the winning goal in the World Cup final against Germany or to make this monster shot against the winning machine that was Steve Davis? I'd choose this pot every time!
Alex Higgins RIP 😢❤
Alex Higgins,Legend&The People's Champion
Higgins was too hot+cold and no surprise he lost in the next round to Griffiths
Applause after just about every shot is funny.
Remember when half your screen wasn't betting ads. Ahh..
Rip legend ❤
Why does he dip down the cue at every shot just before impact? Looks to me to be less precise than today's technique -- even from aggressive players like Trump or Sullivan, I have never seen such a violent "dip", looks less controlled. Trump & Sullivan are aggressive and controlled simultaneously. Would appreciate if someone much more expert in snooker technique could help me explain.
was wondering the same. Would be great if any expert can explain his technique.
2:17 That's a terrible miss for a legend like Mr Higgins!
Just love Alex. But I'm curious, years after he died he went to Oasis gigs? Maybe I'm tired but that Gallagher quote is confusing me.
He died in 2010 he was still fit and playing mosconi cup.pool through the late 90's so couldve went to oasis concerts no problem for 10 years if he wanted
@@thomas-fq1wi -- Just the quote made it sound like he died and years later started going to concerts.
The balls really seem to run very different on that cloth. Was it that much thicker back then, or are there other reasons?
They did seem to play with more freedom than you see in today's snooker and the pockets look more generous.
The cloths were thicker, the slates weren't as well heated and the balls were made of different material and heavier, called "Crystalate" snooker balls.
those bags seemed like buckets alex nearly fell into the middle bag
14:00 Class potting.
5:43 shot ❤
The Rack Pack. Thats the movie.
You beauty
I know they say the pockets were no bigger in those days, but they sure look bigger on screen.
His head stays so still, through the shot. Higgins movement was after he delivered the cue through the ball.
A time wen in the UK 🇬🇧
There was only bbc1 bbc2 itv and channel 4 and even if u didn't like snooker u wud still sit and watch
The thing about Alex is that EVERYTHING about his stroke was wrong. He played across the ball. He snatched at shots. He often threw his whole body into shots. He nearly always moved his head. His game was based on pure raw talent, incredible hand to eye co-ordination that somehow overcame all the faults that would make the game impossible for anyone else. Playing for money from 11 years of age against grown men in smoky clubs leads to a different player than the ones whose rich Dad built them snooker rooms to practice in. Those now wealthy players owe Alex everything. Those garden snooker rooms would never have been built but for him.
Everyone always says how the pockets were so much bigger back then but they don't look any bigger...?
Tell Everyone he's wrong.
Crazy how much better Steve Davis is than Alex. Although Alex won this match I think it’s more accurate to say Steve let him lose. Steve Davis’s technique and play is so smooth and consistent compared to the players of his day. Steve could totally compete with the roster of today while Alex wouldn’t be close.
Higgins was the greatest of them all its just a shame his temperament let him down. Even Davis said he was more talented
If Higgins had been born with the temperament of Davis, Hendry or Reardon he would have won 10 world titles.
His game was all about potting any colours. Unlike today
Milyen dalra szokott bevonulni?
At this level, you're not supposed to mess up the position from brown to blue. Then Lady Luck comes for a rescue.
Luck?
"In January 1989 [age 40], Higgins fell out the window from his partner's first floor flat and broke 30 bones in his ankle."
I remember he had to hop for a while after that, then a few months later, he beat Stephen Hendry 9-8 in the 1989 Irish Masters.
Was he drunk?
I think that that quote is wrong in wikipedia. The ankle doesn’t contain 30 bones at all. The entire foot does, but you’d have to break every single bone in it, and that seems rather unlikely. I think someone added a zero in that quote, because breaking 3 bones in the ankle is perfectly reasonable. (I am aware that I used the terms “perfectly reasonable” in the context of a man like Alex Higgins, so I’m not 100% sure.)
@@castleanthrax1833 Was he ever sober?
Only Alex Higgins could break more bones than there are in the human ankle.
Probably the worst cue action in Snooker Vs one of the best cue action! Higgins still remains one of the best potters in the game, Legend!
I think the crowd was a little overzealous with their clapping at times... Some normal pots really don't need applause every single time.
What was "fast & aggressive" about it?
▶Doea any body know the music at the end of the video? (23:20) Thank you so much!🙏
I think it's shown in the Description. It's called "Searching For Time" from Telecasted, available on the YT audio library.
Table seemed to play heavy.
Higgins was the people's champion. A shame he had so many demons. RIP
Alex always advertised as the spectacular player, yet for me Steve is the admirable player. He had it all.
Steve didn't have charisma lol
The contrast makes for exciting matches though (c.f. Borg-McEnroe).
the way Alex play the game is somewhat like a pool player would play. Cueing doesn't seem straight and aligned but still pots very well
Steve was always the better player,but alex was the most exciting among them all.
Steve CHOKED like a dog it HAPPENS 3 OPEN SHOTS MISSED BY HALF A FOOT ON EACH 1'
Notice he doesn’t have much of a pause?
The audience are driving me crazy with the constant coughing
The rivalry between Alex Higgins and Steve Davies was in a totally different league, not only between them but snooker fans as well. It was probably like a football game between two big teams playing against each other during the 80s.
I totally disliked Steve Davies, i always wanted Alex to win, and i was over the moon when Alex came back from 7nil down to beat him 16-15.
1980s snooker in the microcosm of one frame. Alex.....erratic genius loser. Davis calm, collected, supreme winner.
Everybody says Ronnie is the greatest and you know what I agree. But this guy could have. Saw a lot of his play and half the time he was shit but when he was on his game what a sight to behold