STEVE DAVIS vs ALEX HIGGINS - 1988 Grand Prix FINAL

[@danielraynolds9502]

I remember watching this final right from the first frame. I was wishing Alex would win because I was a massive Alex fan and he played so well in his earlier rounds. Steve cleared the table in the very first from with a magical break of 137. What was so good about that 137 break by Steve was Steve had to keep going back for the blue ball on the first 5 occasions before potting blacks with the last 10 reds. Great 137 break. I remember watching Steve beating Dennis in the semi final 9_1. That's when I knew Steve would win the final. Because he played so very well in his semi. Great memories though.

[@tonynaccarato4751]

Steve and Alex respected each others play immensely, they together brought the game into the future.

[@parksyist]

Davis cried during the documentary about him. Says it all about the man. True legend never hated Alex at all

[@paulhiggins1577]

He neither loved nor hated him. He was wary of his drink fuelled temper, as were.many others.

[@mickharrison9004]

Steve's a much better man than either we or Alex thought back then.

[@bonzodog6872]

Says it all about him is right, never even went to his funeral the lying two faced crocodile teared bastard

[@mickharrison9004]

@@bonzodog6872 yeah thinking about it only Jimmy and Steven hendry at the funeral.

[@seltaeb9691]

Yeah but Alex hated him..!

[@chrismorgan9460]

The legend that is David Vine, sadly missed c

[@bazsully4205]

Alex thanks for the memories growing up in the 80s 😎👍🙏🎱I'm sure Steve will have special memories about Alex as all true snooker fans do 2 great players in their own right 👍🎱

[@ЛекмарКошербаев-с9в]

Yes ..the great player is not that who thinks too much but that one who dares and plays

[@paulwalker1793]

Great respect between both players

[@danielreynolds8357]

The first frame of this final was when Steve Davis knocked in a break of 137. So 137_0. I've watched that frame numerous times. Davis potted 5 blue balls after the first 5 reds and then pitted the next 10 reds after potting blacks. But he had to keep using a rest to pot a red at the start of that 137 break to keep going back up for the blue ball. The pink was situated up near the bulk line. So that 137 break from Steve Davis in that first frame was 1 of the best clearances you would see. Top class 137 break from Steve Davis frame 1. What a start. It's a shame that break isn't posted. Alex played good in the evening session. But Steve Davis was too good from frame 1 until 7_2. Then Alex came back. The first 3 frames are missing. Steve Davis was at his ultimate best. Looking at the way he played in this Rothmans grand prix. He would of beaten todays guys.

[@martinmoran4871]

Brilliant. Thanks for sharing

[@andrewmacleod5826]

Love both these legends of the game....2 total opposites who i think respected and relished the challenge of playing each other....Made snooker exciting,both styles of play....And the media (i think) drummed up the hatred 🙄

[@edmundpower1250]

Loved David Vine brilliant presenter

[@stephenfoster4178]

Yeah I think he was the best

[@CharlesStevenage]

@@stephenfoster4178 what about his son?

[@johnmc3862]

@@CharlesStevenage ?

[@darrenjohnmole7581]

Davis was a machine

[@johnmc3862]

Absolutely, a ball potting one.

[@davidgladwin4954]

A GREAT POTTING MACHINE&HE WAS NEVER BORING HE WAS PURE CLASS&THE WORLD 🌎 KNOWS IT

[@johnmc3862]

​@@davidgladwin4954 He was boring. He was still a brilliant player though.

[@williambriggs79]

It’s fascinating watching these two have a long safety exchange like in that first frame of the video.

[@Danielgmail2024]

The first 3 frames of this final are missing in the wind somewhere. Very first frame total clearance of 137 by Steve in a very rapid break. Alex did have chances to win the second and third frames. But he didn't get going until 3_0 down.

[@williammchendry9922]

Brilliant videos great to see the play thanks from William mchendry

[@mddistribution30]

I was a big snooker fan when I was a kid in the 80s but I do not remember this match. I remember Alex losing an 8-5 lead to Dennis Taylor in the 87 masters final

[@danielraynolds9502]

Steve was at his ultimate very best here in 1988 time.

[@cuggyboysmith81]

Second title, rightly so!! What a Pro!!!!

[@zayaankhan7801]

They should have interviewed Alex at least ! He was the runner up ffs , Alex once came to my snooker club in east London 3 hours late lol , drunk , he still beat everybody and even took a bet off a Rolex watch from a guy that said to him if you pot the pink off it’s spot with the cue ball on the brown spot one handed il give you my Rolex which he then threw on the table , Alex lined the shot up one handed then stood up and said il go one better , lol he flipped the cue over so he was striking the cue ball one handed with the butt of the cue , he had nothing to rest the cue on so he was literally holding the cue half way down the shaft and was taking aim like with a javelin , he literally threw the cue at the white ball with force and it flew in the air to the pink , pink flew in to the pocket and the white had so much screw and side on it it ended up just past the blue spot towards the baulk end , he picked up the watch and said thank you very much ! What a genius and a legend and the best player in my books ever !!!!

[@tullmonkey]

Hopefully somebody will upload the footage one day of this unbelievable story.

[@TheUberkunt]

@@tullmonkey yeah. I literally don't believe it either.

[@leebeardshall2888]

Ee

[@edwardcooper5479]

Nice story, got any that are true ?

[@0flan]

You sure it was literally? Great story. Thanks.

[@londonlady1966]

RIP Alex, you were simply beautiful ❤

[@mickharrison9004]

Well said good lady.

[@jonanthony6078]

As are you Caroline

[@londonlady1966]

@Jordan Belfort I'm not either sometimes..... that's being human for you. 😉

[@londonlady1966]

@@jonanthony6078 Thanks Jon, very nice of you.

[@davidgladwin4954]

WE CAN AT LEAST SAY ALEX WON THE UK AND THE WORLD SNOOKER CHAMPIONSHIP AND MASTERS 2️⃣ AND THE IRISH 🍀 MASTERS&WORLD DOUBLES, BUT HOW DO YOU SPEND 5 MILLION POUNDS???

[@aodhryan]

davis in the eighties was like a sequel to A Clockwork Orange; A Mechanical Ginger.

[@danielraynolds9502]

In the very 1st frame after Steve broke off, Alex went for a wild long pot in which he missed. Steve cleared the table with a tremendous break of 137. 5 blues to start. And the remaining 10 were blacks after. I knew after watching Steve compile the tremendous 137 break to 0 in frame 1 that he was going to beat Alex. I wanted Alex to win. And Alex Played brilliantly to lead Alain Robidoux 8_1. Alex slipped and won aventualy 9_7 in his semi final Steve beat Dennis 9_1 in the other semi. I remember watching that semi from start to finish on BBC 2. Alex was on BBC 1. Steve looked immortal against Dennis. Breaks of 49, 54, 58 and 60. Won Steve that semi. Any long pot Dennis left Steve was soon potted no problem. Steve,s long potting was so very good then. He never seemed to miss long pots.

[@danielreynolds8357]

Good 137 clearance in the 1st frame of this final from Steve. Frames 1_3 are missing.

[@simon0044]

That brown by Davies in the last set 😳😳

[@shaunsahobo]

Rat pack movie paints a picture of these rivals. However 20 seconds In and Steve taps the table for the safety of Higgins..... Was all in his head. Rest his soul

[@londonlady1966]

I think the rivalry was blown out of proportion. Davies did state that Alex was the best tactician snooker ever produced. He was in awe of The Hurricane.

[@WhateverUre]

All of snooker games can be extreme boring without Alex Higgins

[@danielraynolds9502]

Hi snooker blogsvideo. Could you upload the very start of this final from 0_0. Steve knocked in a tremendous 137 break in frame 1. That 137 clearance in the very first frame was awesome. Please upload.👌👌

[@ianwilliamson2980]

Get back to something like normal David says at end .sounds familiar today .

[@roberttaylor6577]

Beating A Higgins is no easy feat

[@sidneygreen9120]

Interesting really did spoil the hurricanes party 🎉 🍾 🍻, but Davis genuinely liked the guy 👍

[@simon0044]

Higgins had so many chances in that last set. He would normally pot all those in his sleep

[@0flan]

There's lots of Coughing. Are they playing in a doctors waiting room.

[@NymphZoic68]

59:20

[@simon0044]

Davies was pretty much unbeatable at this point. Higgins would have to be at his very best to beat him, unfortunately his very best was very unlikely in 88

[@Charlie_Crown]

Davis, DAVIS, not Davies...

[@archer8822]

Alex at best here is club level

[@paulofarrell6498]

A “club level” player wouldn’t take 6 frames against the best player in the world in the pressure cooker of a ranking final.

[@PeterMc141]

Always turning the damn music off FFS

[@0flan]

Dynamite Davis. Hurricane higgins. Would of made a great double team.

[@NymphZoic68]

I'd like to see a player turn up, get drunk and beat Steve Davis

[@tullmonkey]

Poor Alex just couldn't pot that Pink in frame 4....all he had to do was roll it slowly towards the pocket but he kept blasting away and missing by 4 foot.

[@TheUberkunt]

he ought to have javelin threw the cue, butt first. that would have potted the pink fosho

[@gordonhiggins6445]

simply put without higgins in the final nobody would have bothered watched the match remember going to Preston when he had to qualify for tournaments in little boxes doherty was playing on next table with three in audience higgins had at least one hundred when capacity was maybe twenty and professionals including drago watching from the stairs he then gave a lesson to nigel bond who had got to the world semis the year previous and some people who know nothing about genius say he wouldn't have made it in today's game higgins when he wanted to win would.beat anybody

[@TheUberkunt]

You're just biased because he's your dad.

[@AliasJoeRibidiumPaulø]

Look what i have

[@mrghiax]

Too many mistakes by both players. No chance against one visit players of today. Every frame today, one mistake and frame lost.

[@johnmc3862]

The players wouldn't exist 2day only for these players. Higgins was a genius and pioneered plenty of shot Ronnie, Trump play etc.

[@jackoherts]

Higgins way past his best then

[@Happy-mh8xq]

Why is Steve wasting his time in first match he ain’t winning just give up

[@paulboyle5659]

Did enyone else think Ted Low was a bit bigoted? I remember watching Steve play Jimmy White and hear him say, this young man doing his juty for britain... Jimmy and Steve are both Londoners

[@LondonCelticPunks]

What the f is bigoted about that???

[@jmcg7705]

ALWAYS GOOD TO SEE A. HIGGINS GETTING BEAT ........A BLOT TO SNOOKER !!!!

[@philipharrison5100]

If Alex Higgins, had not come into snooker when he did, snooker was finished, Alex Higgins, Jimmy White, Ronnie O'Sullivan, and now Judd Trump, are all quick watchable fantastic snooker players, i do not know what sort of snooker you watch mate.

[@jmcg7705]

@@philipharrison5100 the sober kind that does not promote irresponsible behaviour and loutish drunkenness that clowns like you revel in !!!!!

[@TheUberkunt]

@@jmcg7705 Young Steve Davis was inspired by drunk Alex Higgins, not Ray Reardon. Young Stephen Hendry was inspired by drunk cokehead Jimmy White. Are you that bloke I saw at the Lada Classic in a Neil Foulds t-shirt?

[@jmcg7705]

@@TheUberkunt ray reardon and jimmy white would inspire nobody but idiots .....its taken for granted that superficial praise is lauded to the drunk higgins as is socially granted but nobody is under the delusion that Alex's good points outweighed the shame he brought to the game .......his name should slowly be eradicated from the game .....unfortunately there is one trophy that has his name and i believe "the suits" will rename that trophy ......thank goodness ....and no , you have;nt met me ....

[@johnmc3862]

​​​@@jmcg7705 Clown. White won 10 ranking titles and 30 overall. Snooker wouldn't be near as popular 2day only for Higgins. In fact it still never reached the popularity it once had. Plenty of players had their demons but the dimension Higgins added to the game is without question. Higgins achieved a lot more in life than I'd say you or I. It's easy to comment when no one knows your background.

[@paulrailton1511]

In my opinion sport is entertainment, Davis did nothing for this value and just collected the money. Boring.....

[@ianbanks3016]

Davis raised the level of professionalism and skill in the sport, just as Higgins raised the bar in the 70s. No Davis, no O'Sullivan.

[@69elvisrocks]

You talk rubbish mate Davis was unbeatable in the 80s he beat them all.

[@johnmc3862]

Davis won, thats the whole point. If there was a prize for the most entertaining Alex would have walked it.