Snooker great Steve Davis retires at age 58

Steve Davis calls it a career at 58. Photo by ESPN UK

SHEFFIELD, England — Six-time world champion Steve Davis, who dominated snooker throughout the 1980s, has announced his retirement.

“It came to my mind that perhaps it was the right time to stop,” Davis told the BBC on Sunday (Monday Manila time).

An emotional Davis, who was often lampooned for being too serious, took a bow in front of the Crucible crowds in Sheffield, northern England, during the ongoing 2016 world championship. Davis lost to Fergal O’Brien in a qualifier last week and said that would be his last match.

The 58-year-old Englishman won all his world titles in the 1980s, with his last victory in 1989.

“I started off being the hottest prospect during the ’80s, having it all my own way and thinking I could walk on water and it was never going to stop, and then Stephen Hendry came along and the ’90s were just awful for me,” Davis said.

Davis was beaten by Dennis Taylor in the 1985 world final, when his missed black at the end of the deciding frame was watched by 18.5 million viewers. Taylor potted the black to win snooker’s most famous match.

Davis, who turned professional in 1978, ends his career with 28 ranking titles, including six UK championships.

He was the top-ranked player from 1983 to 1990, dominating the sport despite competition from brilliant but inconsistent talent like Alex “Hurricane” Higgins and Jimmy “Whirlwind” White.

Davis made 355 career century breaks with just one 147, which was the first televised maximum in a professional match, against John Spencer in 1982.

He is the only snooker player to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, in 1988.

“He’s been a fantastic ambassador for the game,” White told Press Association Sport. “He used to be my opposite, my enemy in a way. I always respected him, and he’s not as boring as he makes out.”