Davis misses Crucible chance – and it’s second such world snooker heartbreak

Twelve months on from the agony of losing on the very last ball to Joe Perry, the St Leonards potter was again pipped 10-9, this time by Ricky Walden.

To compound the disappointment, the only time Davis was behind in the entire match was at the very end - after Walden had clinched the final two frames on Tuesday evening.

Walden, the 2013 semi-finalist, admitted afterwards that he wasn't sure how he managed to prevail having been 'second best all the way through'.

Breaks of 100, 82 and 64 helped world number 64 Davis into a 5-2 lead before he was pegged back to 5-4 at the end of the first session.

Further runs of 54 and 74 gave Davis a 7-5 advantage only for 32nd-ranked Walden to level at 7-7 with two half-centuries of his own.

Davis clinched two of the next three frames with breaks of 89 and a brilliant 127 to stand on the brink of victory at 9-8, yet Walden claimed the 18th and 19th frames to book his place among the game's elite at The Crucible in Sheffield.

The 51-year-old Davis had pulled off a splendid 10-8 win over Thai world number 33 Thepchaiya Un-Nooh in the previous round, hitting breaks of 130, 99, 75, 74, 66, 61 and 53 along the way.

And he began his latest quest to reach The Crucible by thumping Welsh potter Andrew Pagett 10-2 with runs of 78, 70, 69, 55 and 55.

The good news for Davis is that his remarkable 33-year career on the World Snooker Tour is set to continue as he's likely to rise to around 57th in the rankings, several places inside the all-important top 64.

Bexhill-based Jimmy Robertson, meanwhile, was beaten 10-6 by Welsh veteran Matthew Stevens in the penultimate round of the qualifiers.

Robertson, ranked 49th, dispatched young prospect Liam Davies 10-2 in the previous round with runs of 93, 93, 83, 75, 69, 68, 54, 54 and 53.