World ranking: 17
Last five seasons: 15-14-13-10-2
Date of birth: 22-08-57
Lives: Brentwood, Essex
Turned professional: 1978
Ranking tournament victories: 28
Last season’s prize money: £80,585
Career prize money: £4,879,343
Highest tournament break: 147

Such was Steve Davis’ domination of snooker in the 1980s that it was reckoned he spent more time on television than Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

The ultimate professional, six Embassy world titles and a total of eight finals - seven in successive years - established him as one of Britain’s top sportsmen.

Steve ‘Interesting’ Davis, as he was portrayed by his Spitting Image puppet, won the world championship for the first time in 1981.

H defeated Doug Mountjoy 18-12 in the final, much to delight of his Matchroom manager and mentor Barry Hearn.

Although he was thrashed 10-1 by Tony Knowles in the first round a year later, it was to prove no more than a hiccup during his glory years.

The man nicknamed ‘The Nugget’, ‘Ginger Magician’ and ‘Master Cueman’ went on to claim five more championships.

He also lost in the final twice - 18-17 to Dennis Taylor in 1985 and 18-12 against 150-1 outsider Joe Johnson the following year.

The Davis v Taylor final has become part of snooker folklore following their black-ball finish some 20 minutes after midnight.

It was watched by a record 18.5 million viewers on BBC 2 and when Davis summed up his feelings, he merely observed: “It’s all there in black and white.”

Davis, made an MBE in 1988 and awarded the OBE in The Queen’s New Year Honours this year, has collected 73 titles - 28 of them ranking events - since turning professional in 1978.

The list includes six UK Championships and three Benson and Hedges Masters.

It was the 1987 Masters that provided him with his last major tournament success as he came from 8-4 behind to beat Ronnie O’Sullivan 10-8.

The records are endless. He compiled the first televised maximum break during the 1982 Lada Classic and spent 20 successive seasons ranked in the world’s top 16 until slipping to No 17 at the end of last season.

“I would love to win at least one title in the next decade,” says Davis, now a director of the World Snooker Association.

“I’ve won titles in the 70s, 80s and 90s so it would be a worthwhile achievement to keep the record going in the new millennium.”